The Nauruan government has joined a chorus of criticism of the ABC, accusing the national broadcaster of conspiring to "destabilise the government" and using the small Pacific Island as a "punching bag".

In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, a spokesman for the Nauruan government said the controversy surrounding Monday night's Q&A program, during which former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah was allowed to question junior minister Steve Ciobo, was not surprising given the ABC's "biased left-wing agenda".