Please explain, Nats minister tells MP

Maverick Nationals MP George Christensen has some explaining to do when he turns up to a meeting of his federal colleagues, one of the party's senior figures predicts.

Mr Christensen has admitted he was the anonymous government backbencher threatening to quit the party last week if Malcolm Turnbull continued to be prime minister.

"He's made a bit of a blue and needs to explain to the party room why he did what he did," cabinet minister Darren Chester told ABC radio on Monday as MPs return to Canberra for parliament's final sitting week of the year.