RESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
On 24 November the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Harry Jenkins, MP, in a surprise announcement, resigned as Speaker. Mr Jenkins, the Labor member for Scullin was first elected in 1986. He was elected
Hon. Harry Jenkins, MP
as Speaker following the 2007 Federal Election. In announcing his resignation, he commented that “I have at all times tried to uphold the fine traditions of Speaker, and to the best of my ability have attempted to carry out my duties in the most independent and non-partisan manner possible”. In explaining his reasons for stepping down, Mr Jenkins stated “as members are aware in this the 43rd Parliament, to further avoid controversial party political matters I have divorced myself from involvement with the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party. In this era of minority government I have progressively become frustrated at this stricture. My
desire is to be able to participate in policy and parliamentary debate, and this would be incompatible with continuing in the role of Speaker”. The Prime Minister, Hon. Julia Gillard, MP, stated that “on all occasions Harry Jenkins, as Speaker of this House, has carried out his duty with honour, with dignity, with a strict non-partisan approach which brought him credit from all sides of the Parliament”. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Tony Abbott, MP, stated that Mr Jenkins “has been in my judgment one of the very best Speakers to grace the chair of this Parliament. Certainly he is the equal of the best of the Speakers that I have served under in my 18 years in this chamber. As the Prime Minister said just a few moments ago, he was a really outstanding Speaker with a really strong love of the Parliament, which begs the question: why has Speaker Jenkins left the chair? Just why has this great man with a great love of this chamber and a great love of its traditions, left the chair?” Mr Abbott further commented that “what has happened today is that an honourable man, the member for Scullin, has been sacrificed to protect the political life of a failing Prime Minister. That is what has happened today. He has been made to walk the plank”. The election for the new
Hon. Peter Slipper, MP
Speaker was conducted a few hours after Mr Jenkins’ resignation. Hon. Mr Peter Slipper, MP, Liberal Member for Fisher, and the current Deputy Speaker, was elected unopposed. His election, however, was not without controversy. Prior to the election of Speaker, Mr Abbott, warned that any coalition member who stood for election of Speaker would need to resign from the coalition. Mr Slipper ignored this advice and tendered his resignation of the Liberal Party. Mr Slipper’s decision has helped strengthen the minority government of the Prime Minister by effectively increasing labor’s vote on the floor of the House of Representatives from the current 75 to 74 votes to 76 to 73 votes. The Speaker of the House of Representatives does not have a deliberative vote but only a casting vote in the event that votes are tied. The government needs only to rely on three crossbench members
instead of the previous four. The Opposition, in an attempt to avoid a coalition member taking the position of Speaker, nominated various Labor members for the position but all refused the nomination. The Leader of Opposition Business in the House, Hon. Chris Pyne, MP, stated “that it is utterly unprecedented for the government not to follow the Westminster tradition of nominating one of their own members to be Speaker of the Parliament”. In relation to Mr Jenkins resignation, Mr Pyne stated that “it grieves me that the former Speaker, Mr Jenkins, has retired today as Speaker of this Parliament. I have had a topsy-turvy relationship with the member for Scullin over the period that I have been Manager of Opposition Business, but I think he has always been fair and reasonable. I have sometimes been known to say to him that, if I were him, I would have thrown me out more often than he did!’” The new Speaker of the House of Representatives placed on record his tribute to Mr Jenkins. Mr Slipper stated “I strongly believe that the Speaker ought to be
independent. In this Parliament the Speaker has not attended party room meetings and the Deputy Speaker followed a similar practice. I think we have moved a long way towards an independent Speaker. I will, in