Australia's top bureaucrat has cleared former ministers Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne of any potential misconduct over jobs they have accepted since retiring from politics.
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson has reviewed both appointments and found ministerial rules have not been broken.
"His advice to the prime minister is that there is no breach of ministerial standards, and that is the advice that I will be providing to the Senate this morning," Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told ABC Radio on Monday.
Labor and some Senate crossbenchers raised concerns over jobs former defence minister Mr Pyne and ex-foreign minister Ms Bishop picked up after leaving parliament in May.
Mr Pyne has a new defence-focused role with professional services giant EY, while Ms Bishop has been appointed to the board of a foreign aid contractor.
The ministerial code of conduct says ministers must not lobby or have business meetings with politicians or public servants within 18 months of leaving parliament, on matters they dealt with in their final 18 months in office.
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce would not be drawn on whether the jobs passed the pub test, saying: "Well, it passed the investigatory test."
"Obviously I think that people rightly have questions that they want answered," he told reporters in Canberra.
"And I suppose they'll read the recommendations as to how those questions were answered, about how you work for a defence organisation when you were the defence minister.
"I mean, they're the questions that people want to see answered in this investigation."
Dr Parkinson's findings have not put One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson's mind at ease.
"He's saying that all rules have been complied with. Maybe we should look at those rules," she told reporters.
"I have a grave concern about people who have held ministerial positions, dealt with companies that have received a million dollars, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, and now working for those firms?
"It doesn't look good."
Centre Alliance's Rex Patrick had been pushing for an inquiry into Mr Pyne's job, but eased up after learning Mr Morrison had written to Dr Parkinson earlier this month.
Senator Cormann said he meets with non-government senators regularly and may discuss the issue with some of them later this afternoon.
"I'll be having meetings later today and we'll be working through all these issues."
Australian Associated Press
