The Law Council of Australia has called for the abandonment of a federal parliamentary inquiry into the family law system, citing concerns that the hearings are “being used for political purposes” to undermine domestic violence claims made by women.

The Law Council president, Pauline Wright, has written to the chair of the inquiry, Liberal MP Kevin Andrews, to formally complain about the live broadcast on the hearings by One Nation last week.

The independent MP, Zali Steggall, who is a member of the joint select committee, told Guardian Australia on Tuesday she had also written to Andrews to echo those concerns.

The video streams – filmed by the controversial Pauline Hanson staffer James Ashby – allowed viewers to post comments, including calling witnesses and MPs “bitch”, “man-hater” and “dirty snake”.

Wright said the Law Council, the peak body for the legal profession in Australia, initially supported the establishment of the inquiry “to drive the holistic change required in the family law system”.

“We are now concerned the inquiry is being used for political purposes to undermine domestic violence claims made by women and thereby putting vulnerable families at further risk by inciting hatred and excusing domestic violence,” she said.

Wright and colleagues from the Law Council gave evidence at a hearing in Sydney last week. She said they were asked by a member of the committee secretariat if they consented to being filmed.

“My colleagues and I … gave our consent for evidence to be video recorded, presuming it was to be used for proper parliamentary purposes.

“What is of most concern to the Law Council is that some of the evidence given, mainly by women, has been the subject of scorn and denigrating comment on the One Nation Facebook sites.

“During my evidence and that of Dr [Jacoba] Brasch QC there was commentary that female lawyers are ‘bitches’ who ‘conspire with each other’.

“As well, lawyers from women’s organisations were the subject of particularly negative commentary. Comments include that women lawyers are ‘bitches’, ‘evil’, ‘snakes’, and ‘fugly’. I trust that such comments would not have been allowed if they had been present at the hearing and those making them would have been removed from the hearing.

“As well as some generally offensive comments, many of the comments perpetuate discredited notions about domestic violence; for example, denying that the vast preponderance of domestic violence is perpetrated by men upon women and that women are ‘liars’. The Law Council is particularly concerned that this commentary may incite or excuse domestic violence.”

Steggall said the inquiry was “an opportunity for us to improve a broken system and to prioritise the best interests and ensure the best interests and safety of children and participants are prioritised”.

“As parliamentarians and committee members, we have a duty to be respectful to all involved, especially witnesses,” Steggall said.

“I do not consider the conduct of One Nation MPs and their staff to be consistent with that duty. I have written to the chair and echo the concerns of the Law Council of Australia.”

The inquiry was controversially established last year despite the Australian Law Reform Commission having recently conducted its own review, which made a number of recommendations for reform. The process has been criticised as a concession to the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, who has taken up the mantle of the men’s rights movement, and the far-right party’s influential position on the Senate crossbench.

While many expert groups and women’s advocates have told the inquiry that reforms to better protect vulnerable women are urgent, the first full week of the inquiry has been dominated by the airing of fringe, discredited and dangerous views; including debate about whether women lie about domestic violence to gain advantage in the family court. Experts have repeatedly refuted those and similar statements.

The Women’s Legal Service Queensland and Women’s Legal Services Australia have both also lodged complaints about the conduct of the inquiry.

The Queensland body’s letter said Michelle Dorendahl, whose child Eeva was murdered by her father, had been in the audience at the Brisbane hearing and was “particularly impacted” by the “abusive and disrespectful” manner in which the inquiry was conducted.

“The manner in which Senator Hanson conducted herself … was unprofessional, disrespectful and verging on vitriolic,” WLSQ chief executive Angela Lynch said.

“Virtually screaming at a women’s service ‘what about the men’ does not further the issues in dispute and in our opinion is purely made to enliven an emotional and argumentative response from us and embolden her Facebook followers.

“We are more than happy to participate in civil debate about these issues but not in a public screaming match.”

Lynch said attacking women as liars was particularly harmful as many were vulnerable, lacked support or were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Senator Hanson’s presence was always going to impact on the neutrality of the committee and impact on the ability of survivors to give evidence, thereby restricting and skewing evidence to the inquiry”.

In her letter to Andrews, Wright asks the committee to prevent future broadcasts by One Nation, to refer certain posts on the broadcast to “relevant authorities”, and to direct all footage and comments be removed.

“Further, in light of the events outlined above the Law Council believes the committee’s inquiry should be discontinued,” Wright said.