Tony Abbott's opposition to American rapper Macklemore singing a gay anthem at the NRL grand final is "bizarre", a senior minister says.
Attorney-General George Brandis noted Same Love is one of the singer's chart-topping songs and one of four he will perform at the game in Sydney on Saturday.
"For Mr Abbott and anyone else to say that it should be banned I think is a bizarre thing to say. I thought Mr Abbott believed in freedom of speech," he told ABC TV on Thursday.
Mr Abbott on Wednesday tweeted rugby league fans "shouldn't be subjected to a politicised grand final. Sport is Sport".
His remarks add to the ongoing war of words between the 'yes' and 'no' camps ahead of a national survey on whether Australia should legalise same-sex marriage.
But Immigration Minister Peter Dutton backed his former leader, saying bodies like the NRL needed to get a "backbone" and stand up to political correctness.
"My kids love the footy and I want to take my boys to watch the footy and I don't want the betting ads jammed down their throat," he told Sydney radio 2GB from London.
"I don't want the gay marriage message jammed down their throat at the football."
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who wasn't familiar with Mackelmore's work, agreed.
"I think people have had it up to here with the same-sex marriage issue," she told Seven Network.
"We've got so many other great artists in this country that we could actually put up there."
Senator Hanson says she would rather see John Farnham or Daryl Braithwaite perform at the final.
Meanwhile, Macklemore is aware of the furore, telling Los Angeles hip-hop radio program The Cruz Show he's been getting tweets from "angry old white dudes in Australia".
"I'm gonna go harder," he added.
