Father Chislett, rector of All Saints Wickham Terrace in central Brisbane, was consecrated by the Traditional Anglican Communion in Rosemount, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.

"It seems that the Reverend David Chislett has left the Anglican Church of Australia to join the TAC," Dr Carnley said in a statement.

Dr Carnley, the liberal who defied canon law more than a decade ago to ordain women as priests, said the Anglican Church was not in communion with the TAC and there was no constitutional provision for licensing someone consecrated by it.

Father Chislett, vice-chairman of the conservative Forward in Faith movement and a vocal critic of the 1992 decision to allow the ordination of women, plans to travel around Australia pastoring to parishes who refuse to accept the ministrations of women priests.

Bishop of The Murray Ross Davies has licensed him as a bishop in his diocese.

"We need a flying bishop and now we have one," Bishop Davies said.

In a fiery sermon at Father Chislett's consecration, TAC primate John Hepworth said: "Your ministry is partly unknown but it is a ministry to communities that are broken and altars that are cracked."

Dr Carnley said he was disappointed with Father Chislett's move.

The soon-to-retire Primate warned conservative Anglicans leaning towards the Catholic Church to take note of Father Chislett's status. "The purported consecration of a bishop without an office within which to function may be little more than shadow boxing," he said.

In Newry, Northern Ireland, the 38 primates of the Anglican Communion will today begin what some in the church regard as crisis-management talks.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will chair the five-day closed meeting. Its main agenda will be the recent Windsor Report, which made proposals to hold the fragile church federation together.

Threatened by the cross currents of gay ordination and same-sex marriages, the primates are confronted with maverick bishops, such as Michael Ingham who has sanctioned same-sex marriages in Canada.