Australian parliamentary speaker Bronwyn Bishop resigns over travel expenses

Bronwyn Bishop is resigning as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Abbott said the entire parliament expenses system will be reviewed.

Bishop had said she would repay the helicopter claim with a 25 percent penalty and later described the expense as “ridiculous”.

Having recognised this, and presumably advised Bishop on the course she would reluctantly take, Abbott could not bring himself to criticise her conduct on Sunday, which made for an awkward and unconvincing appearance before the cameras.

Political hardheads in Abbott’s party-if not in his office-could have and probably did tell him Bishop entirely mishandled the scandal from the outset (to this day she has insisted all her claims were within entitlements, something that may yet be tested in court) and that in doing so she was damaging not merely her own prospects of retaining the Speakership but the party and the government, of which she remains a high-profile member, despite the pretence of independence attached to the role.

“We have a situation where spending is arguably inside the rules but plainly outside community expectations”, the PM said.

“This will not be a quickie review, because there have been quickie reviews in the past”, said Mr Abbott.

Mrs Bishop called Mr Abbott today to report she had given her resignation to Governor-general Peter Cosgrove. “I have not taken this decision lightly, however it is because of my love and respect for the institution of the parliament and the Australian people that I have resigned”.

The prime minister said Mrs Bishop had done the right thing by the parliament and the people of Australia.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten backed the inquiry but wasn’t as kind towards Mrs Bishop.

Abbott added that Bishop regrets her actions, saying that “no-one who saw Bronwyn on television the other day could be under any doubt as to her remorse”.

Bronwyn Bishop has tendered her resignation with the Governor-General.

“Unfortunately Tony Abbott still won’t accept that Bronwyn Bishop has done anything wrong”, Mr Shorten said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said fellow MP Clive Palmer would move a motion of no confidence and he would second it, if the Speaker did not stand down before parliament resumed on August 10.

Labor has been demanding the Speaker’s resignation over revelations she hired a $5000 private helicopter to travel from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal fundraiser.

Abbott put Bishop on “probation” but news of questionable uses of public money kept on coming, including stories that she used taxpayer dollars to attend the weddings of two colleagues, Sophie Mirabella in June 2006, and Teresa Gambaro in 2007.