Coalition sources have accused Cathy McGowan, the incoming independent MP for Indi, of being partially responsible for the lack of women and the absence of a science minister in Tony Abbott’s first cabinet.

Several sources have told Guardian Australia that McGowan’s ousting of rightwinger Sophie Mirabella is bad news for the status of women within the government, for science, and for Indi.

Mirabella was shadow science minister in opposition and was due to be included in Abbott’s ministry, before withdrawing when it became clear she was heading for defeat in her electorate.

“We warned of the bad consequences of putting an independent into Indi and we’ll now see those play out,” a senior Coalition staffer told Guardian Australia. “Indi now has no voice in cabinet. Cathy McGowan hasn’t got any policies and hasn’t got a single dollar committed in funding for Indi.

“All this talk of a lack of women in cabinet or a lack of a science minister – that’s a direct consequence of Cathy McGowan winning. But that’s what everyone around Cathy McGowan campaigned for and it’s what the Border Mail [the local Fairfax-owned newspaper] campaigned for.”

On the night of the September 7 election, Mirabella claimed that an alliance of the Greens, Labor, unions and the activist group GetUp! had conspired to topple her in favour of McGowan.

“Some of the stuff Sophie’s had to cop everyday – I don’t know how she did it,” said another Coalition source who worked directly on her campaign. “Some of the abuse has been horrendous. Stuff about her personal life and false information about her voting record. This has been a personal, vicious, one-sided campaign. People don’t think beyond the caricature of her.

“All the talk of Sophie taking Indi for granted was, frankly, offensive. She was up at 6.30am every morning working hard for the electorate.”

McGowan, who on Wednesday claimed victory in the rural Victorian electorate following Mirabella’s concession, denied that she was responsible for the fact Abbott has just one women in his 19-strong cabinet.

“That’s a very long bow to draw, isn’t it?” she told Guardian Australia. “I can’t take any responsibility for Tony Abbott’s choices. He made his choice and the people of Indi made their choice. There isn’t any connection between the two.”

McGowan also rebuffed the suggestion that she will have little impact as an independent MP who sits outside government.

“That theory has no credibility,” she said. “That’s like saying that Labor has no influence because it’s not in government. That’s clearly not the case. It’s about working with the government of the day and that’s something I’m looking forward to doing.”