Bishop quits over tax-payer travel scandal

Australia’s prime minister Tony Abbott announced that Bishop had tendered her resignation to the Governor-General at a news conference Sunday afternoon.

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.

Ms. Bishop said she had done nothing wrong, but the flight was widely pilloried in social media and mainstream press.

The speaker of Australia’s House of Representatives has resigned following weeks of accusations that she used taxpayer money to pay for extravagant and unnecessary travel. She will continue to serve as a lawmaker for the ruling conservative party, representing her local district.

It has now gone down as another one of his notoriously unpopular “captain’s picks”.

Mr Abbott insisted the review would not be a “quickie” but declined to give a specific time frame.

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

Bishop, whose expense claims over the past 10 years are already the subject of a Department of Finance inquiry, will retain her parliamentary seat. “The problem is the entitlement system more generally”, said Mr Abbott.

Even announcing Bishop’s resignation, Abbott refused to criticize his “friend and colleague”, saying she is only a victim to the parliamentarians entitlement system.

On July 29th the foreign minister, Julie Bishop (no relation), suggested the speaker was considering her position.

Labor leader Bill Shorten, who plans to unveil proposals to enshrine the independence of future speakers, said Mrs Bishop was now claiming to be a victim of a system of which she was in charge.

“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.

Tony Abbott says he wouldn’t be surprised if the race for the Speaker’s job narrows to one candidate in coming days.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Shorten accused Mr Abbott of being more afraid of Mrs Bishop than the Australian people, as he increased pressure on the Prime Minister to “show some courage” and tell the embattled Speaker to resign.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who was to move a no-confidence motion in Mrs Bishop when Parliament resumed next week, also rubbished Mr Abbott clearing Mrs Bishop of any wrongdoing.

However, Mr Whiteley said he wrote to Mrs Bishop last week “to inform her directly of the views of my electorate and both their and my disappointment in the serious entitlement misjudgment”.