Victorian Premier Denis Napthine is denying there is a deal to secure Geoff Shaw's vote, with parliament descending into chaos when the controversial MP failed to attend question time.
The government says Mr Shaw, charged this week with fraud-related offences, was apparently unable to attend because of sickness - which the opposition says is news to them.
In Shaw's absence, Speaker Ken Smith was forced to vote with the government to break the deadlock on a motion to suspend Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews for three days.
Mr Andrews had accused the speaker of bias after he prevented the opposition leader from asking pointed questions about Shaw, the former Liberal-turned-independent.
The drama came as Premier Denis Napthine denied a deal had been done to secure Shaw's vote, but said he would accept support from "all sides of politics".
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"There has been no deal with Geoff Shaw," Dr Napthine said on Thursday.
"There has been no discussions on that matter. It's not on the agenda."
Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino said the drama showed the circus of a government relying on Shaw's support.
"It is a government propped up by the member for Frankston, who is facing 24 serious criminal charges and today in parliament Victorians saw how unstable and chaotic that arrangement is," he told reporters.
"Geoff Shaw was not on the floor of the chamber and Denis Napthine fails to achieve a majority.
"If you can't govern the parliament, if you do not have a majority on the floor of the parliament, how can you govern Victoria?"
Mr Merlino seemed surprised when told Shaw was apparently sick.
"Is that what they are saying it is? I haven't heard that," he said.
Mr Shaw quit the parliamentary Liberal party in March on the same day Ted Baillieu resigned as premier.
The independent, who reportedly remains a card-carrying member of the Victorian Liberal party, was this week charged after misusing his taxpayer-funded car.
Dr Napthine also said there was no chance of seeing Shaw welcomed back to parliament as a Liberal member or endorsed as a Liberal candidate in any electorate.
"The chance of him coming back into the parliamentary Liberal party are negligible, low, nil, zero," Dr Napthine said on Thursday.
If Shaw is convicted of the offences, he will be ineligible to serve as an MP, which potentially triggers a by-election in his slimly-held seat.
