Prime Minister Tony Abbott admits that he has ordered all ministers contact his office before speaking to the media, saying his government needs to speak with a ‘‘united voice’’.

On Wednesday, an email leaked to the Australian Financial Review, Mr Abbott’s senior press secretary, James Boyce, informed ministerial staff that all requests for interviews, right down to ABC local outlets, must be vetted by Kate Walshe who has taken over leadership of communications in Mr Abbott’s office.

The communications clampdown from Mr Abbott, who once described Kevin Rudd as a ''hyper-control freak'' for his autocratic media management, was issued hours after Education Minister Christopher Pyne revealed in an interview with Fairfax Media the government's agenda to take an axe to the university sector.