PARLIAMENTARY REPORT
AUSTRALIA
ELECTION OF THE SPEAKER AND NEW BUDGET MEASURES
Speaker of the House of Representatives following the resignation of Hon. Bronwyn Bishop MP who resigned following intense scrutiny of her travel allowance expenses. Mr Smith, 48, is the Liberal member for the Melbourne seat of Casey and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2001. Mr Smith indicated that he was committed to bringing more balance and independence to the role of the Speakership. His first step in achieving this was to confirm that as Speaker he would no longer attend Liberal Party room meetings.
Tony Smith MP elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives On 10 August 2015, Hon. Tony Smith MP was elected as the 30th
Mr Smith in thanking the House for its support first noted the former Speaker commenting that “as everyone has done in this debate, I recognise the member for Mackellar, who I have known for nearly 30 years and who has been a wonderful servant of our party. I want to recognise her at the outset. I thank the House for the confidence you have placed in me. There is no greater honour within the parliament than to be elected by one’s peers.”
Mr Smith noted that “I am a servant of this House and all of its members. There is,
Right: Tony Smith MP takes the Chair as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. Image: Australian Parliament website.
226 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Three
however, a mutual obligation between presiding officers and individual members. I want to say at the outset that I will give a fair go to all on the floor of this chamber. But in return I do expect a level of discourse that reflects that.” In particular, Mr Smith commented that “Parliament is a robust place. It should be a robust place. It is where we battle our view of a better Australia. It is the arena
for the battle of ideas and ideals. I make that point because often people say parliament should not be robust. It should, but it need not be rude and it need not be loud. That is something I would like to see improve. I cannot do that, but together we all can. I wanted to make that point at the opening.” The Prime Minister, Hon. Tony Abbott MP commented that “as the Speaker, you Sir are
the custodian of the traditions of this House. Your job is to maintain order in this House by commanding the respect of both sides of the chamber. I am confident, based on our friendship and comradeship going back some quarter of a century that this is exactly what you will do.” The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Bill Shorten MP congratulated Mr Smith and commented
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