Abbott government minister Fiona Nash has accepted the resignation of a senior staffer embroiled in a row over the taking down of a health food ratings website.
The resignation of Alastair Furnival came just hours after the assistant health minister expressed confidence in her chief of staff.
Senator Nash had told reporters in Sydney on Friday that Mr Furnival had done a "terrific job".
Later, in a statement, the minister said she had accepted his resignation with regret and thanked him for his service.
Senator Nash has been under pressure to explain what role Mr Furnival played in the take-down of the website after just 20 hours of operation.
He retains a shareholding in the lobbying firm Australian Public Affairs, operated by his wife Tracey Cain, which represents food industry opponents of the website including Kraft and Cadbury.
Labor insists there has been a serious breach of the ministerial staff code of conduct with opposition Senate leader Penny Wong accusing Senator Nash of misleading parliament twice in three days.
