Alan Tudge will stay officially as the education minister for an extra two and a half months despite claiming he would not return to the frontbench in March.
At Senate estimates on Friday, government officials confirmed that Tudge remains education minister and is “on leave” despite the acting minister, Stuart Robert, performing the functions of the role.
Tudge stood aside on 2 December pending an investigation into allegations made by his former media adviser, Rachelle Miller, about her relationship with him in 2017. Tudge has denied the allegations.
On 4 March the government released the report of former bureaucrat Vivienne Thom, finding there was insufficient evidence Tudge had breached the ministerial standards.
But Tudge nevertheless said he had “requested not to be returned to the front bench before the election”.
Scott Morrison said in the “interests of his family and his own wellbeing and in order to focus on his re-election as the member for Aston [Tudge] is not seeking to return to the front bench, and I support his decision”.
On Friday, the government services minister, Linda Reynolds, told Senate estimates Tudge is “on leave” but “he still is” the education minister.
Asked if Tudge is still receiving ministerial pay, Reynolds directed the question to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet but confirmed that he remained as minister.
Michele Bruniges, the education department secretary, said the latest ministerial list is dated 8 October, subject to the March announcement of Robert as acting minister.
The October list states Tudge is education minister, and in cabinet. Officials referred questions about whether Tudge remains in cabinet to PMC.
Reynolds said the employment minister, Stuart Robert, was now acting education minister, and Tudge’s staff continued in their roles to support Robert, not Tudge, to perform the role’s functions.
Reynolds said it was “entirely standard” and “not unusual” that Robert performs the functions of education minister as acting minister, and Tudge’s ministerial office remains in place.
Cabinet ministers receive $357,000 per year, about $150,000 more than the backbench MP salary of $207,000.
If Tudge had continued to be paid at ministerial rates, he would have received a pay boost of at least $67,000 for remaining a minister between when he stood aside in December to the May election.
But a government spokesman told Guardian Australia Tudge’s ministerial salary was stopped on 2 December.
Labor’s shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, said “despite saying a month ago that he had quit the cabinet, government officials have revealed Alan Tudge is still the education minister, his taxpayer funded office is still operating, and wouldn’t answer whether he’s still getting a cabinet minister’s salary”.
In March Robert ruffled feathers by claiming that independent schools do not accept “dud teachers”, sending the “bottom 10% of teachers dragging the chain” into the government system, where they are protected from being fired.
On Friday, Robert announced that he and state and territory education ministers had agreed on a new Australian curriculum after changes to “declutter” it.
Robert praised changes including embedding phonics education in English, and making history compulsory in years 9 and 10.
Guardian Australia contacted Tudge for comment.
