Chief whip Scott Buchholz said Mr Smith had won in an “exhaustive ballot” but he bungled the official announcement by incorrectly naming one of the contenders.
Advertisement
It came down to a vote between himself and Russell Broadbent.
After the vote was found to be in favour of Mr Smith, he told reporters he was “humbled” to have full support of his Liberal party colleagues.
Tony Smith is the 30th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Bishop, 72, resigned as lower-house speaker earlier this month after three weeks of pressure as revelations about her travel expenses dominated media headlines.
In his first words from the Speaker’s chair Mr Smith said he would give a fair go to everyone.
Not only did Bishop succeed in making herself a target – it is hard to imagine choppergate would have developed the steam it did had Labor not hated her so – but parliament became, too often, a site of chaos, as the Opposition did everything it could to demonstrate its frustration.
He said he would not be attending partyroom meetings, something Mr Bishop never did.
He confirmed this on Monday.
“I won’t be attending regular party room meetings as I’ve told colleagues”.
“Leader of the house Christopher Pyne – who along with Abbott, dragged Bishop to the Speaker’s chair in 2013 – had some in the chamber gasping when he observed, “[Bishop] has been felled in most unfair circumstances”.
Philip Ruddock did not contest the position.
There’s a major factor in Tony Smith’s upbringing that makes him the “perfect” choice as federal speaker, says Tom Elliott.
New South Wales MP Lucy Wicks seconded the nomination.
Sky News reports that the Labor Party will not put up a candidate to oppose Smith.
Backing controversy-hit Indian mining giant Adani’s coal mine venture in Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the $16.5 billion project was “vitally important” and “sabotaging” of such developmental plans using legal means was “dangerous” for the country.
“In the course of your 15-year parliamentary career you have met with some disappointments,” he said.
His predecessor, Bronwyn Bishop, will be able to retire from politics on a $255,000 a year package which also includes 10 free domestic flights a year, Fairfax reported.
“She has been a warrior for the causes that she believed in”. “Serving as a Speaker is a privilege, not a prize; a responsibility, not a reward”, Shorten said.
What we, the people, are entitled to expect from the Speaker is someone who will fearlessly protect and preserve the independence of Parliament from overreach by the executive arm of government, and someone who respects the integrity of the debate process even if it works against their own party.
Advertisement
“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”.
