Sidelined Health Minister Sussan Ley’s fate may be known by early next week

THE fate of sidelined health minister Sussan Ley may be known by early next week, with surprised colleagues saying it’s extremely unlikely she’ll return to the frontbench.

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THE fate of sidelined health minister Sussan Ley could be known by early next week as the Turnbull Government moves to limit the fallout from the travel expenses scandal.

Colleagues have expressed surprise over Ms Ley’s frequent taxpayer-funded jaunts to the Gold Coast but told the Herald Sun it was extremely unlikely she would return to the frontbench.

“I can’t see how she comes back from this,” one minister said.

Sussan Ley’s colleagues have told the Herald Sun it’s extremely unlikely she’ll return to the frontbench. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

But Cabinet colleagues believe Ms Ley’s impending demotion may not trigger an immediate reshuffle of the government’s frontbench.

Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos has been appointed as acting Health Minister and Coalition MPs believe he is likely to remain in that position until a wider reshuffle later in the year.

“I don’t think the Prime Minister would want a reshuffle before parliament returns,” one minister told the Herald Sun. “It’s something he was hoping to avoid.”

Mr Turnbull’s department secretary, Martin Parkinson, is currently investigating Ms Ley’s use of taxpayer-funded entitlements to travel to the Gold Coast where her partner owns a bin cleaning business.

On Monday Ms Ley said she was “very confident” the probe would find she hadn’t broken rules despite agreeing to repay costs for four trips to Queensland.