Harry Jenkins resigns as Speaker of the house.

[1965]

Never a dull moment...

LAMO at Abbott demanding an election be held. What a boring one-trick pony he has become.

 

Parliament in turmoil as Speaker resigns
By Jeremy Thompson
Updated November 24, 2011 12:25:47

Federal Parliament has been thrown into turmoil today with the sudden resignation of Speaker Harry Jenkins.

Mr Jenkins announced he was standing down in a statement to the House this morning, saying he wanted to go back into the cut and thrust of Labor Party decision making.

The move pitched Liberal Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper into the spotlight, with Labor Caucus wasting little time in nominating him for the Speaker's role - a move which would effectively give Labor one more seat in the House of Reps and lessen its reliance on independent and Greens MPs.

At present the support of Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor, Andrew Wilkie and Greens MP Adam Bandt gives the minority government power.

But Opposition Leader Tony Abbott hit back, saying it was the Government's responsibility to provide a Speaker and that his party room has decided that no Coalition MP should accept a nomination to sit in the Speaker's chair.

Mr Abbott called a press conference mid-morning to demand the government call an election over the issue.

"If it [Labor] cannot provide the Speaker then it can't remain in office," Mr Abbott said.

He indicated that Mr Slipper would be excluded from the Liberal party room and be expected to resign from the party if he accepted the nomination. Queensland's Liberal National Party, of which Mr Slipper is a member, has also threatened to throw him out if he accepts the Speaker's job.

[1965]

That puts the Labor Party one up in parliament.

There will be a by-election as well after Abbott's brain explodes.

 

Renegade Liberal boosts Labor's numbers
By Jeremy Thompson
Updated November 24, 2011 13:23:29

A desperate Opposition rearguard action failed to stop renegade Liberal MP Peter Slipper from being installed as Speaker of the House of Representatives in a stunning Labor coup today.

A day of extraordinary political drama began when Labor Speaker Harry Jenkins announced his resignation.

The move pitched Mr Slipper into the spotlight, with Labor Caucus wasting little time in nominating him for the Speaker's role - a move which will effectively give Labor one more seat in the House of Reps and lessen its reliance on independent and Greens MPs.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott hit back by threatening to throw him out of the party if he accepted the job.

The vote to install Mr Slipper was scheduled for 12:30pm AEDT and Mr Slipper announced that he would accept Labor's nomination - effectively casting himself into the political wilderness and guaranteeing his expulsion from the Liberal ranks.

But manager of Opposition business Christopher Pyne stepped up to nominate a succession of Labor MPs for the job instead.

All declined; Anna Burke, Dick Adams, Sid Sidebottom, Sharon Bird, Kirsten Livermore, Steve Georganas ... the list went on.

Finally Mr Pyne gave up the unequal task and Mr Slipper's election to the Speaker's role was confirmed.

It is understood the Government has been negotiating with Mr Slipper for some weeks, deliberations that were kept secret, and surprised his former colleagues today.

[mightytiges]

This pretty much means the Government will go full term to late 2013. Poor Tony is having a tantrum over it  . Now where is Mr Tigra to tell me again that Liberal MPs are allowed to vote against their party line without being sacked from the party .

[WilliamPowell]

Just watching it Ch7 news and the look on Tony's face was priceless, ditto some of the other coalition pollies

Funnty stuff indeed

Totally stuffs up Wilkie's threats now 

And BTW MT Slipper "resigned" from his party before they had a chance to kick him out 

[tiger101]

Makes you question the timing of it all though. If they've had this up there sleeve why do it today. Could we be seeing a ALP MP resigning over the summer break?

[WilliamPowell]

Makes you question the timing of it all though. If they've had this up there sleeve why do it today. Could we be seeing a ALP MP resigning over the summer break?

From what i understand tiger101 - they've been talking to Slipper for a number of weeks now, he may have approached the Govt 

Slipper not very popular with this colleagues, was most likely to lose pre-selection for his seat as his party want him out of the way

Think Slipper (or should that be Slippery  ) just out there looking after himself, gets a mssive pay increase of about $75k for being speaker

[tiger101]

Think Slipper (or should that be Slippery  ) just out there looking after himself, gets a mssive pay increase of about $75k for being speaker

This afternoon on skynews they said its an extra 100k from a back bench wage the speaker also gets there own private dining room.

[The Big Richo]

I think it happened now because the Slip hosted K Rudd in his electorate recently and copped a barrelling from the Libs, hence Labor pounced on the chance to widen the crack.

[mightytiges]

The Libs can't whinge about this as Howard did the same thing in the Senate with Mal Coulston. Abbott was trying to get Oakshott to be the new speaker anyway so he's only ticked off because he failed.

The extra vote enables Labor to now try and at least pass legislation through the House of Reps it couldn't before due to Wilkie or Bandt as well as now avoid being held hostage by the hardline whims of either of those two. It won't surprise me if the Government now tries to get its Malaysian asylum seeker policy through even knowing it will be rejected by the Senate. The Government (no matter which side) can then use the "blame the opposing parties in Senate for blocking necessary Government policy that was passed by the people's house" card. Being opposed by the Greens in the Senate is politically advantageous for Labor  (takes ammo away from Abbott) while it'd also put pressure on the Coalition (do you want to "stop the boats" or not?).

[tiger101]

This Malaysia solution proposed by any labor government is just dumb in my view. They was so worried over losing their left base to the Greens they pushed a carbon tax through but now they risk lose whatever they gained back to the greens with this offshore solution.
 

[1965]

This Malaysia solution proposed by any labor government is just dumb in my view. They was so worried over losing their left base to the Greens they pushed a carbon tax through but now they risk lose whatever they gained back to the greens with this offshore solution.

I thought this whole "issue" had died and that Julia was dismantling the whole detention thing and putting refugees in the community.

 

[Penelope]

lot of money being spent on a detention centre in Darwin right now.

[tiger101]

I thought this whole "issue" had died and that Julia was dismantling the whole detention thing and putting refugees in the community.

 

I know your a blind Labor supporter and in your eye's Gillard is the greatest PM and she can do no wrong.
But this issue is still ticking along. The other day in the news paper I read there was 339 arrivals this week alone.

[1965]

And again...

I am a tree hugging Greens voter from way back.

Julia ATM is a better option that Tony IMHO.

 

[tiga]

And again...

I am a tree hugging Greens voter from way back.

Julia ATM is a better option that Tony IMHO.

 

Noooo!!! Really?? Whale Oil Beef Hooked!!