Ms Hickey told media on Monday she felt a sense of relief when she was told about the decision and felt the toxicity between her and the government over the past three years had come to an end.

Over the weekend, she said there was no place for small 'l' Liberal women in the party who refused to kowtow or be subservient to the dominant males.

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Labor leader Rebecca White in Parliament on Tuesday asked Mr Gutwein if his party believed women should be relegated to the background.

Mr Gutwein said he would not comment on Ms Hickey's remarks over the weekend.

"The first point I make is that this is not about gender, it is about teamwork," he said.

"I lead a strong government. It has strong women in it."

Womens' Minister Sarah Courtney before Parliament said it was important for the government to continue to look at how to best support women into leadership positions, both in government and within the community.

She said she did not believe she had ever found herself in a position where she had been forced to express opinions she did not support.

"We are a party that has often robust discussions behind closed doors about issues - we are a broad church," Ms Courtney said.

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