Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stopped short of backing Prime Minister Tony Abbott's strong-armed attack toward the ABC for allowing former terror suspect Zaky Mallah to appear on Q&A.

Turnbull was repeatedly pushed to answer whether he supported Abbott's claims that the ABC had "betrayed" Australia and "heads should roll" for the rebroadcasting of the program in an interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30 Thursday night.

As vetted questioner on Monday night's Q&A program Mallah ended a heated confrontation with junior minister Steve Ciobo by stating: "The Liberals have just justified too many Australian Muslims in the community tonight to leave and go to Syria and join ISIL because of ministers like him."