The final episode of Q&A for 2016 went out with a bang after a heated discussion about the Racial Discrimination Act culminated in The Australian‘s Greg Sheridan labelling Labor MP Terri Butler “disgraceful”.

Monday night’s panel was discussing proposed changes to section 18C of the act when Ms Butler drew the ire of the foreign affairs editor by mentioning that a Queensland University of Technology student was accused of using the “N-word” in a high-profile racial discrimination case.

The judge presiding over the case found that the student had not used the offensive word in question.

“That is disgraceful, your diatribe is disgraceful,” a clearly angry Mr Sheridan told the Queensland MP.

Ms Butler also angered Mr Sheridan for arguing the public should call out resident The Australian cartoonist Bill Leak’s work as “racist”, rather than viewing him as a martyr for free speech.

Indigenous author and screenwriter Nakkiah Lui had to wait for Ms Butler and Mr Sheridan to finish bickering before weighing in with her own say.

“As an Aboriginal person, I do think it was racist … please do not make that general statement [that it’s not],” Ms Lui told Mr Sheridan in reference to the Leak cartoon. 

“As a white man, you think it wasn’t. So good for you.”

The episode’s varied panel also included Liberal Senator Eric Abetz and columnist and author Benjamin Law.

.@SenatorAbetz says the process is the punishment Greg Sheridan says it’s badly drafted @nakkiahlui disagrees #QandA https://t.co/fURNeXHytB

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) November 21, 2016

‘Mansplaining’ and interrupting

Ms Lui provided one of the episode’s most heated moments when at one point she implied that Mr Sheridan was ‘mansplaining’ the issue of the Australia-US alliance to her.

The author of the ABC’s Black Comedy was arguing Australia should reconsider the strength of its alliance with a Donald Trump-led America, when Mr Sheridan told her Australia should not rush the decision.

Nakkiah Lui writes for and acts in the ABC’s Black Comedy. Photo: ABC

“I appreciate the lecture, but nobody is saying rush into it. Penny Wong didn’t. So thank you, but no one is disagreeing with you,” Ms Lui said, clearly annoyed.

“God bless you,” replied Mr Sheridan, as the audience squirmed in their seats. 

Minutes later, Ms Lui found herself in another awkward moment when Senator Abetz accused her off “cutting [him] off mid-stream”.

Benjamin Law came to Ms Lui’s defence, jokingly telling Mr Abetz he was too “powerful” to be crying censorship.

You're a powerful man with a powerful platform don't make out you're being censored on public tv –@mrbenjaminlaw to Eric Abetz #QandA

— Jennifer Macey @[email protected] (@jennifermacey) November 21, 2016

https://twitter.com/lanesainty/status/800659648462229504

Ms Lui also provided the most emotional moment of the show when she revealed her personal experience with domestic violence.

The Indigenous writer revealed both herself and her mother were domestic abuse survivors, adding that she had felt ashamed of it in the past.

“I remember standing in front of the police with my busted lip … and just thinking to myself, ‘You stupid Aboriginal girl. You are so disappointing and you’re disappointing to your community’.”

Is Trump’s chief strategist anti-Semitic?

Early in the episode, writer Mr Law butted heads with Mr Sheridan over Donald Trump’s chief strategist, Steven Bannon.

Mr Law argued Australians should not consider the Trump election “normal”, nor should they ignore that Mr Bannon – who also heads up alt-right publisher Breitbart News – is “anti-Semitic”.

Benjamin Law also butted heads with Greg Sheridan

Mr Sheridan called the claim “unsubstantiated” and warned Mr Law not to “throw around” such terms.

“I think if people log in and read what Steve Bannon writes about Jewish people they will draw their own conclusions,” Mr Law replied.

Just had a look at Breitbart. Yes, Bannon is anti-Semitic. #qanda

— Eddy Jokovich (@EddyJokovich) November 21, 2016