The former federal minister Ian Macfarlane says he has been offered a Queensland state government job but will reject it, circumventing the possibility of a byelection in his seat of Groom.
Macfarlane lost his spot on the frontbench when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in September.
On Wednesday, his office said he had been offered the senior Queensland public-sector role of resource investment commissioner but will reject the offer.
No explanation for the rejection was given.
Hours earlier, the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, denied that any decision on the commissioner’s role had been made.
“He has applied; there is a merit-based selection process,” she said, adding that, to her knowledge, no one from the government had approached Macfarlane to take on the role.
“It’s an advertised position. Anyone could have applied.”
A byelection may have been called if Macfarlane decided to leave federal politics before Turnbull goes to the polls.
The decision to hold a byelection rests entirely with the speaker of the house and there are no constitutional limitations on calling a byelection before polling day.
The speaker has refused to issue writs for the election of a new member due to a byelection’s proximity to a full election on 20 occasions since federation in 1901, according to the parliamentary library.
Palaszczuk announced the creation of the resources investment commissioner role in November, as a way of promoting investment in mining exploration in the state.
Macfarlane held the industry portfolio for six years under the Howard government and then again for two years under Tony Abbott.
He announced that he was leaving federal politics in February after unsuccessfully attempting to defect to the National party in an effort to return to the cabinet.
