Mr Hanson was trying to ask Veterans Affairs Minister Gordon Ramsay whether he supported Ms Cody's characterisation of the RSL as an organisation with a long history of disgraceful behaviour and racism.

Ms Cody's attack in parliament followed a visit she and her husband made over the summer to the Sussex Inlet RSL Club on the South Coast, where her husband had been horrified to find old-fashioned tiles depicting Aboriginal people beside the men's urinal.

At the time, Mr Hanson accused Ms Cody of "bullying hate speech" against the organisation. And RSL ACT branch president Peter Eveille dismissed her criticism as "complete rubbish", given the Sussex club is not part of the RSL.

On Tuesday, Mr Hanson asked Mr Ramsay whether he, as minister, agreed with Ms Cody.

But Mr Steel, who was chairing the annual reports hearing, asked him to explain how the question was relevant to the annual reports. Mr Hanson tried to argue that it was relevant to the minister's portfolio, and was supported by his colleagues, including Vicki Dunne, who said the hearing had been very wide-ranging, with no-one else required to specify which part of the annual report their questions related to.

But Mr Steel ruled the question out of order and demanded Mr Hanson leave.

The Greens' Caroline Le Couteur defended Mr Hanson's right to stay in the hearing, saying while questions might be ruled out of order, all members had the right to be there.

But Mr Steel insisted that as chairman he had discretion about who attended.

After the hearing, Mr Hanson said it was disappointing that Mr Ramsay "sat mute throughout" and was yet to comment on the "outrageous slurs" against the RSL.

The Assembly is holding two weeks of hearings into the 2015-16 annual reports, where politicians have the chance to directly question bureaucrats on a wide range of issues, including detailed questions earlier in the week on the resignation of Jeff House from the Chief Minister's directorate this month.