A court has paved the way for a public servant who criticised the government on Twitter to be sacked, even though she did not reveal her name or her job to her readers.

In a decision likely to curtail bureaucrats' use of social media, Federal Circuit Court Judge Warwick Neville rejected Michaela Banerji's application for a stay on her dismissal.

Michaela Banerji was told last year she would be sacked after she criticised her department via an anonymous Twitter account. Credit:Jay Cronan

The case is linked to one of the government's most prolific official tweeters, Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan, who heads the communications team in which Ms Banerji worked.

Ms Banerji had accused Mr Logan of bullying her, and argued the department's decision to discipline her over her Twitter comments was a retaliation against her complaint.