Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker

On Sunday, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported that she used more than AU$260,000 of taxpayers’ money over the past five years to be driven around in chauffeured cars, limousines and private-plated vehicles.

Bishop, a member of Abbott’s Liberal Party, had been under fire for more than 3 weeks as media reports emerged of her use of taxpayers’ money for trips including spending Aus$5,000 (US$3,600) on a 80-kilometer (50-mile) helicopter ride for a November political fundraiser.

As Speaker, Bishop’s job was to set an example to all MPs when it comes to minimising the cost to taxpayers and to enforce high standards.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, has resigned.

Abbott has called for a system that “independently sets and monitors parliamentary entitlements” and one which “enables parliamentarians, their staff, and the public, to operate inside the rules with confidence”, according to a statement released today.

“These allegations take this entire saga to a new level, to an absolutely new level”, Mr Burke said.

“I have not taken this decision lightly, however it is because of my love and respect for the institution of Parliament and the Australian people that I have resigned as Speaker”, Mrs Bishop said in a statement.

Bishop had said she would repay the helicopter claim with a 25 percent penalty and later described the expense as “ridiculous”. In the past week, a number of government frontbenchers have stopped short of supporting Mrs Bishop, even though she has finally apologised and asked the Department of Finance to investigate her expense claims. Last week she issued a grovelling apology, which Labor rejected as hollow.

Bronwyn Bishop has tendered her resignation.

“Without wanting to underplay the significance of some of the errors of judgement which she herself has conceded and apologise for, I think she’s certainly done the right thing”, he said.

Having split the government and distracted the Prime Minister, Bishop promised to paralyse the parliament if she refused to quit.

“What has become apparent is that the problem is not any particular individual, the problem is the entitlements system more generally”, he said.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, says Bishop should resign and “nothing less than that is good enough”.

“Unfortunately Tony Abbott still won’t accept that Bronwyn Bishop has done anything wrong,”.

Abbott says Bishop is “deeply remorseful” while a poll shows 58% of voters believe she should resign.