Fairfax Media revealed that Mr Muir, who will become a senator in July, was too busy to meet Mr Abbott to discuss important bills that he will have to vote on.

Mr Muir is set to vote as a bloc with Clive Palmer's Palmer United Party in the Senate. And on Friday David Leyonhjelm, the NSW senator-elect representing the Liberal Democrats, revealed he will vote in a block with South Australia's Bob Day of Family First. Mr Abbott has begun to meet crossbench senators who will be critical to the success of his government's first budget.

Mr Muir's spokesman, Keith Littler, had told Fairfax that he was working at Heyfield sawmill to help feed his family.

''He has to work for a living. He has a mortgage, he has to feed his family. He just can't take time off at the whim of the Prime Minister,'' said Mr Littler, founder of the Motoring Enthusiast Party.

But staff at the Australian Sustainable Hardwoods Heyfield Greenmill told Fairfax Media that Mr Muir only worked at the site ''sometimes'' and that he was not on shift on Friday.

At the company's other mill in town, the receptionist said ''no comment'' when asked if Mr Muir was at work.

Australian Sustainable Hardwoods employs more than 200 people.

Heyfield is a small town in Gippsland, more than 200 kilometres east of Melbourne, that is supported by the timber industry.

At the Heyfield Bakery locals said they had never heard of Mr Muir until he won a Senate spot, which had surprised everyone. They said they were pretty happy for Mr Muir to ''stick it to Abbott'' but were more interested in talking about the huge pay raise he will enjoy when he becomes a senator in July. From July 1, Mr Muir will earn a salary of $190,000 - much more than the $500-a-week basic wage for a timber process worker.

It has been reported that Mr Muir and other Palmer United Party senators travelled to the US to participate in a political study tour.