PUP senators change sides on salary deal to keep health agency head hardly working Louise Sylvan refuses to leave because her contract cannot be terminated without a change in legislation. THE battle-scarred Palmer United Party has tried to show it is still a force in Canberra by reneging on a deal to scrap the $300,000-a-year salary of a Commonwealth CEO being paid to do nothing. Despite PUP previously advising it would vote with the Coalition, it shocked the Abbott Government yesterday by voting to keep paying Louise Sylvan, who is drawing a salary despite having no work to do. Ms Sylvan was the head of the controversial Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANPHA), which was shut down in June. But Ms Sylvan, who has no official duties, refuses to leave because her contract, which runs until 2016, cannot be terminated without a change in legislation. COMMENT: Palmer's power rapidly disintegrates UNITY: Jacqui Lambie accuses Palmer of using Glenn Lazarus as his party room enforcer The PUP backflip came just a day after Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie quit the party, sparking commentary that leader Clive Palmer's power had been significantly weakened. Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash believed she had the two remaining PUP votes in the bag The vote was lost 34-33, at the hands of the Greens, Labor, Independent Nick Xenophon, Senator Lambie - who has said she would vote against all Government bills until Defence Force personnel were paid more - and the two remaining PUP senators Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang. A spokeswoman for Senator Lazarus yesterday said the Senate voted to keep the agency "as the Senate felt the agency provided an important role in guiding a coordinated and overarching approach to the management and delivery of preventative health strategies." "Palmer United is concerned about the growing issue of obesity in Australia and related illnesses such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease,"" the spokeswoman said. Earlier in the year, speaking on behalf of PUP, Senator Lambie said: "The problem is that, until the bills are repealed, certain costs with regard to these agencies cannot be avoided. Costs include paying a CEO more than $300,000 a year to do nothing. Ongoing costs include rent that cannot be avoided - a total waste of taxpayer money. "On that basis, the Palmer United Party has no choice but to support both bills to repeal these agencies and prevent further taxpayer money being wasted."" The Palmer United Party has tried to show it is still a force in Canberra.