Mrs Jones will now spend a third of the year away from the Assembly after her absence was extended to the end of the June sittings.

Mrs Jones on Wednesday told The Canberra Times she was taking leave due to a medical reason other than mental ill-health, but was continuing some duties in her period of absence from the chamber.

"I hoped to be back sooner but I just thought it would be easier to make the leave provision so people could move on and be organised for themselves. I'm not actually doing nothing, I'm just not in the building," she said, speaking to the media for the first time since January.

Mrs Jones, who was first elected in 2012, said she wished she was back in the Legislative Assembly sooner, but needed more time away from the chamber.

"It's a funny sort of a job, because in lots of ways there's not a clock ticking on everything that we do. We have to get the representing of the electorate done; that's the absolute basic [core] of what we do. But it's turning up to the chamber that we need leave from," she said.

Mrs Jones resigned as the deputy leader of the opposition in January and has not attended a sitting day this year, originally taking leave from February to the end of April.

Opposition Whip Nicole Lawder on Tuesday moved a motion for an extended leave of absence for Mrs Jones, who is now on leave until the end of the June sitting weeks. It means Mrs Jones will miss 17 of 35 sitting days in 2022.

A spokesman for Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee confirmed Mrs Jones had provided a medical certificate and had discussed the period of leave with the Opposition Leader.

Mrs Jones intended to resume her seat in the Legislative Assembly and was not participating in party room meetings or Canberra Liberals branch meetings, the spokesman said.

Multiple members of the Legislative Assembly have had leave of absence periods this year, including Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury who took a week off when he isolated with a COVID-19 infection. Chief Minister Andrew Barr was absent from the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday and Wednesday after he took sick leave.

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Mrs Jones cited the ongoing personal toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to spend more time with her large family when she announced her decision to resign the deputy leadership, however there had been disagreements in recent months between Mrs Jones and Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee.

Mrs Jones and Ms Lee had made up the first Australian all-female political leadership team.

Mr Barr in January claimed there had been a "very significant relationship breakdown" between the pair, who represent rival factions in the Liberal party.

Ms Lee fired back at Mr Barr, accusing the Labor leader of engaging in "gutter politics".

Former opposition leader Jeremy Hanson, who led the Canberra Liberals to electoral defeat in 2016, was elected unopposed to the deputy leadership in a party room meeting.

Extended periods of leave from the Assembly for sitting members are not unprecedented.

In 2004, then health minister Simon Corbell took an extended break from his cabinet and Assembly duties, later citing severe depression as the reason he spent four months away.

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