Newly-elected Speaker Tony Smith has promised to allow ‘robust’ debate in parliament, but warned MPs to be better behaved.
The 48-year-old Victorian MP on Monday won a Liberal party room ballot to take over the speakership from Bronwyn Bishop.
The MP for Casey defeated fellow Victorian Russell Broadbent, who reportedly was backed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott who commended Mr Smith for building internal party support to take over the role.
“Your job is to maintain order in this House by commanding the respect of both sides of the chamber,” he said.
Abbott also delivered a message of support to Mrs Bishop, who has now moved to the Coalition backbenches.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, on the other hand, has welcomed Tony Smith’s commitment not to attend party room meetings, declaring the best umpires “are the ones that you don’t notice”.
In his first words from the Speaker’s chair Mr Smith said he would give a fair go to everyone.
“Parliament is a robust place … it is the arena for the battle of ideas and ideals,” he said, stressing that “it needn’t be rude and it needn’t be loud – that is something I’d like to see improved.”
“I will not be attending weekly party meetings. It’s my view that the Speaker should not only be, but also should be seen to be, independent of the partisan day-to-day fray.”
There were interjections of “no way” and laughter as the Opposition Leader also called on Mr Smith to allow supplementary questions in Question Time, which would give Labor the opportunity to ask Ministers a series of questions in a row, rather than only one.
Source: ABC, Skynews
