Australian Parliament Elects New Speaker

Victorian Liberal Tony Smith has been elected by his colleagues to serve as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“Every day that Tony Abbott denies his MPs a free vote, he is denying millions of Australians a fundamental right [to marriage]”, he told The Guardian.

“I believe the job of the leaders of this nation is to create an atmosphere or an environment which enables business investment whilst getting the balance with keeping a sustainable environment,” he said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott demoted Mr Smith from the frontbench after the 2013 election but praised his success on Monday.

He is expected to be a less divisive figure and has already said he would not be as heavy-handed, rather, fairer to both parties while in the position.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten congratulated Mr Smith, whose elevation was an “opportunity for all of us to reflect on our behaviour”.

The new Speaker will preside over parliamentary sittings for the first time this morning, as parliament begins condolence motions for former Western Australian MP Don Randall, who passed away during the winter recess.

Smith, the MP for Casey since 2001, pledged to stop attending regular party room meetings – a gesture of independence that the Labor party and some within the government had suggested as a way to draw a line under Bishop’s partisanship.

Voters are entitled to expect the Speaker will abide by the highest standards of Speakers elsewhere in the world, that he will pursue fairness in managing the debate within the House.

The new Speaker said he would give a fair go to all, but in return expected a level of discourse that reflected that.

He plans to periodically sit down and share meals with members of the parliament in order to “convey ideas to all groups”, and reiterated that he will not be attending weekly party meetings.

We say as much because, putting aside her abuse of taxpayer-funded expenses, Mrs Bishop was arguably the most partisan adjudicator of the House of Representatives in generations.

But the president of the NSW Bar Association Jane Needham South Carolina is concerned about Mr Abbott’s comments in The Australian on Friday, alleging the courts can be used to “sabotage” development projects.

“Serving as the Speaker is a privilege not a prize, a responsibility, not a reward”, Mr Shorten said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also declared that he wants to triple coal production in his country, for which the output of the Adani project was intended.

“But it needn’t be rude and it needn’t be loud – that is something I’d like to see improved”.

After completing his education, he worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Public Affairs before becoming a senior political advisor to Peter Costello while Treasurer.

He replaces Bronwyn Bishop, who resigned as Speaker on August 3, following scrutiny over her use of parliamentary expenses.

Labor did not oppose Mr Smith’s nomination.