Pyne confident Briggs will be re-elected

Senior federal Liberal Christopher Pyne believes his South Australian colleague Jamie Briggs will be re-elected to parliament despite being forced to resign from the Turnbull ministry because of inappropriate behaviour.

"I have every confidence that Jamie will be able to convince the electors in his electorate of Mayo to re-elect him," Mr Pyne told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday.

Mr Briggs had paid a high price for his mistake and would be forgiven because voters don't want to risk Bill Shorten becoming prime minister, he said.