Ben Doherty and agencies Monday 31 August 2015

Labor calls Australia’s $55m resettlement deal an ‘expensive joke’ after Cambodia says it has ‘no plans’ to take more Nauru refugees

Three of the refugees from Nauru are escorted by Cambodian police officers after they arrived in Phnom Penh on 4 June. Photograph: Mak Remissa/EPA

Australia’s $55m plan to resettle refugees from Nauru to Cambodia appears finished, with just four refugees moved to the south-east Asian country at a cost of more than $13m per refugee.

Four refugees – an Iranian couple, Iranian man and a Rohingyan man from Burma – were transferred from Nauru to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh in June.

Since then, they’ve lived in relative luxury in an Australian-funded villa, and will remain there indefinitely.

However, Cambodia expects it will take no more from Australia’s resettlement plan.

“We don’t have any plans to import more refugees from Nauru to Cambodia,” interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak told the Cambodia Daily. “I think the less we receive the better.”

Under the deal, signed by previous immigration minister Scott Morrison and Cambodia’s interior minister Sar Kheng last September, Australia promised an additional $40m in aid to the impoverished south-east Asian country as well as $15.5m in resettlement, housing, education and integration costs for the refugees.

The deal was not contingent on Cambodia taking a certain number of refugees.

Throughout last year, the Cambodian government sent delegations to Nauru to promote the resettlement plan, but very few refugees even met with the government officials. Those visits have ceased.

Joe Lowry, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, which has managed the four refugees’ resettlement in Cambodia, told the Cambodia Daily the group was doing “fine”.

“They have asked for privacy so we are respecting that,” he said. The group is living in a villa in Phnom Penh, originally intended as temporary housing.

“When they are ready to leave [the villa] they can,” he said. “I don’t think any of them have expressed any desire to go.”

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former battalion commander in the Khmer Rouge, and who has ruled his country for 30 years, will visit Australia in December.

His regime is regarded as one of the most corrupt on earth. Transparency International ranks Cambodia 156th of 175 countries on its index of corruption perception.

Hun Sen, his family, and associates are alleged to have amassed billions of dollars in personal wealth, siphoning off aid money, and through corrupt sales of natural resources and land.

Rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, say Hun Sen’s regime crushes dissent in the country through extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, summary trials, censorship and widespread bans on assembly and association.

A spokesman for immigration minister, Peter Dutton, told Fairfax the government was committed to its policy that no boat arrivals would be settled in Australia.

“The government continues to work with Cambodia and other partners, including source countries, to facilitate the return or placement of people on Nauru and Manus Island,” he said.
Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, called on Dutton to explain the situation.

“This is an expensive joke and once again we are learning about this through comments from ministers in the Cambodian government rather than ministers in our own government,” he told Sky News.

When the Cambodia deal was signed it was condemned by the United Nations, who described it as “a worrying departure from international norms” and said Australia was shirking its responsibility of people fleeing persecution.

“We are seeing record forced displacement globally, with 87% of refugees now being hosted in developing countries. It’s crucial that countries do not shift their refugee responsibilities elsewhere,” the UN’s high commissioner for refugees, António Guterres, said.

“International responsibility sharing is the basis on which the whole global refugee system works. I hope that the Australian government will reconsider its approach.”

Cambodia deal in tatters after only four Nauru refugees resettled at cost of $13m each | World news | The Guardian

Katharine Murphy Deputy political editor Tuesday 25 August 2015

Labor leads the two-party preferred vote 54% to the Coalition’s 46%, while Tony Abbott’s popularity falls three points to 30% after horror parliamentary fortnight

Bill Shorten and Tony Abbott at a reception for the Australian netball team after their World Cup victory. Shorten’s net satisfaction rating is ahead of the prime minister’s for the first time since May. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, has improved his personal standing with voters in the latest Newspoll survey, which continues to point to an emphatic ALP victory if a federal election was held immediately.

The latest poll of 1,700 voters published in the Australian has Labor ahead of the Coalition on the two-party preferred measure 54% to the Coalition’s 46% – and the Coalition’s primary vote also slipped below Labor’s.

Coalition at risk of losing Canning by-election, poll shows

Latest Newspoll puts Coalition’s margin in the formerly safe seat held by Don Randall at just 51%-49% in two-party-preferred terms

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After a horror parliamentary fortnight for Tony Abbott, Shorten’s personal approval ratings lifted by five points, and his dissatisfaction rating fell by the same amount. Shorten’s net satisfaction rating is ahead of the prime minister’s for the first time since May.

The prime minister’s satisfaction rating was also down three points in the survey to 30%, and dissatisfaction with his performance went up two points. Shorten is ahead of Abbott on the preferred prime minister measure.

Labor has now been ahead of the Coalition in two-party preferred terms in more than 150 consecutive published opinion polls. This latest Newspoll is the 29th consecutive survey that has put Labor in front of the Abbott government.

On Tuesday the treasurer, Joe Hockey, brushed off the poll findings, saying the government could bounce back.

“I saw this in 2004, I saw it in 1998,” he told the Nine Network.

“I have seen it previously, where we have gone on to win an election, even weeks and months just after those sort of polls.

The government faces a by-election in the West Australian seat of Canning next month following the death of long serving MP Don Randall. That contest looms as a test of Abbott’s leadership.

Coalition facing huge election defeat after horror weeks, latest poll shows

Fairfax-Ipsos poll puts Labor lead at 54%-46% on two-party-preferred basis, implying the loss of between 36 and 44 Coalition seats

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A number of government MPs are deeply concerned about the negative poll trend, about erratic decision-making, and about rolling divisions within senior ranks of the government.

The last fortnight saw various cabinet ministers engage in open warfare about same sex marriage, and a significant split emerge between the prime minister and his chief parliamentary tactician, Christopher Pyne.

The government’s trade union royal commission – a process which was applying political pressure to Shorten over his trade union history – also ran into significant strife, with commissioner Dyson Heydon having to hear submissions over whether he should excuse himself from proceedings after it was revealed he had intended to address a Liberal party fundraiser.

Heydon’s decision is pending.

The prime minister is attempting to get the government’s central political messaging back to jobs and growth, but he will spend the next week in remote Indigenous communities.

The treasurer Joe Hockey on Monday flagged the prospect of future income tax cuts – but refused to answer questions about how the government would fund such a move.

Bill Shorten's approval rating improves as Coalition slides further in Newspoll | Australia news | The Guardian

By political editor Chris Uhlmann, James Glenday, and Anna Henderson Tuesday 18 August 2015

Photo: Tony Abbott said ministers had been warned there "would be consequences" for any who did not maintain discipline in future. (Andrew Meares/Fairfax Media)

Related Story: Dastyari slams anti-gay marriage blogger over 'evangelical claptrap'

Related Story: Poll shows potential 10 per cent swing against Liberals in Canning

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told his joint party room that ministers have been "read the riot act" for having public spats in the wake of last week's messy gay marriage debate.

On Monday night Cabinet agreed to hold a popular vote on the issue after the next election, but members of the frontbench are publicly divided over whether the mechanism should be a constitutional referendum or plebiscite.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull argued the vote should take place in this term of parliament so it is off the agenda before the next election.

The Leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, has also accused the Prime Minister of "branch stacking" by including the mostly conservative Nationals in last week's marathon debate that endorsed a binding vote against same sex marriage in this term.

Admitting it had been a scrappy fortnight for the Government, Mr Abbott told the joint-party room meeting this morning that ministers had been warned there "would be consequences" for any who did not maintain discipline in future.

His warning came as one backbencher castigated her Cabinet colleagues for their behaviour.

The Member for Gilmore, Ann Sudmalis, spent five minutes berating ministers for what she saw as the debacle after the same-sex marriage debate last week.

Photo: Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis was cheered by other backbenchers after she berated ministers over the same-sex marriage "debacle". (photo: Justin Huntsdale)

She said Cabinet ministers were sacrificing people in marginal seats for the luxury of expressing their own views in public, and called for "unity".

When she sat down she was cheered by other backbenchers.

The comments were seen as being out of character for Ms Sudmalis, who does not often speak at the party room meetings.

"I didn't take on this position to see my country's future frittered away," Ms Sudmalis told ABC local radio after the meeting.

"I just added some perspective on it from a marginal seat holder, saying that we've got a great message to take forward.

"We are actually doing the country good and that message has been lost and we need to work together."

Julie Bishop warns public divisions could play into by-election

Several Liberals say during the meeting Foreign Minister Julie Bishop urged her colleagues to think about how their actions could impact on the upcoming by-election in the Western Australian seat of Canning.

One told the ABC "the message was clear, before you open your mouth think how this might play in a campaign".

A plebiscite or a referendum?

ABC election analyst Antony Green explains the difference between a plebiscite and a referendum.

 

Another said the deputy Liberal leader was "making the point [that] how we fare in Canning will have implications for how the government is judged by the media and the community".

Agriculture Minister and Deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said the Government had found a resolution.

"The party room guided by the Prime Minister has drawn a line under this issue," he told ABC's Capital Hill program.

"So the issue, therefore, is dealt with, we will not be changing policy during this term of government.

"Whether it's a plebiscite or a referendum, that will be discussed in the future."

Mr Abbott has said he will provide more details of the mechanism for a popular vote within weeks.

From other news sites:

• The Sydney Morning Herald: Tony Abbott and backbench warn Liberal Party cabinet to stay on script 'or else'
• The Guardian: Tony Abbott fronts party room amid pressure over Dyson Heydon, same-sex marriage and Canning – politics live
• Sky News: PM reads Cabinet the 'riot act' on unity

Tony Abbott reads 'riot act' to ministers over same-sex marriage - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Staff and agencies Monday 17 August 2015

Fairfax-Ipsos poll puts Labor lead at 54%-46% on two-party-preferred basis, implying the loss of between 36 and 44 Coalition seats

New poll figures put Tony Abbott’s leadership under further pressure Photograph: Glenn Hunt/AAP

The Coalition faces a thumping election defeat with a swing of 7.5% against it, according to the latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll.

That would mean the loss of up to 36 Coalition seats – Labor needs just 21 to form a majority government.

The government trailed Labor 54% to 46% on a two-party-preferred basis, the poll taken from 13-15 August showed. And using the stated second preferences of respondents, rather than the allocation of preferences as they flowed in September 2013, the Coalition’s position worsened to 56%-44%, implying the loss of up to 44 seats.

Warren Entsch 'lives in hope' his marriage equality bill will succeed eventually – as it happened

Dyson Heydon may have to consider his royal commission role, the government fares badly in the latest Fairfax polling, and Coalition MP Warren Entsch introduces his same-sex marriage bill

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The government’s primary support has dipped to 38% – just two points above Labor’s 36%, with the Greens on 16%, according to the poll published by Fairfax Media. The Coalition won 46% of the primary vote at the last election.

The government has endured several nightmare weeks, embroiled in the expenses row that led to the resignation of Bronwyn Bishop as Speaker, engaging in open internal conflict over same-sex marriage and fending off claims of partisanship against the trade union royal commissioner, Dyson Heydon.

Tony Abbott’s disapproval rating slipped one point to 59% in the poll. With his approval rating at 35% that left him on a net rating of minus 24%.

The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, gained four points on his approval rating, taking it to 39%, but with 49% disapproving was still on a net rating of minus 10.

The poll found Malcolm Turnbull led as preferred Liberal leader and prime minister among all voters on 41%, ahead of Julie Bishop on 23% and Abbott on 15%. But among Coalition voters Abbott still led with 33%, with Turnbull on 25% and Bishop on 23%. Just 6% of Coalition voters wanted the treasurer, Joe Hockey, as leader.

The poll of 1,402 respondents also showed public support for marriage equality remained high at 69%.

Coalition facing huge election defeat after horror weeks, latest poll shows | Australia news | The Guardian

Lenore Taylor Political editor Friday 14 August 2015

As the divisions deepen and the polls get worse, the government is again descending into a self-defeating cycle of instability and suspicion

Tony Abbott at question time on Thursday. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Behind the Abbott government’s very bad week – a careening series of disasters that looked like the political version of an AAMI ad – is a common thread that could wreck it permanently. Tricky politics has driven Tony Abbott into yet another crisis.

So many of the prime minister’s problems begin in the strange netherworld of decision making, where policy is crafted to fit a slogan rather than the other way around, based on the insulting assumption that voters are too dumb to notice.

All politicians, from all sides, weigh policy ideas against how they might play in the electorate but this government is coming up with the slogan and calculating the political “play” before it even has a policy. It’s a reckless way to run the country. Now the trickiness is sometimes aimed at internal opponents as well as Labor.

Same-sex marriage, for example, was going to be a difficult issue for any Coalition leader. In the end the party backed Abbott’s view that it should continue to oppose any change to the definition of marriage during this parliament but that this position wouldn’t be tenable any longer and that maybe there should be a popular vote on the issue.

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But now supporters of same-sex marriage see Abbott and other opponents of the idea taking the confused party-room non-decision about what should happen after the next election and crab walking it towards a process that will ensure nothing ever happens.

Abbott has the slogan all ready – he’s for a “people’s vote” and the Labor party is for a “politicians’ vote”. He just didn’t have a policy.

Malcolm Turnbull and others say the party room did not in fact make a definite decision in favour of a “people’s vote” at all and there is obviously no decision on what kind of people’s vote. Some are opposed to a change, like Scott Morrison (who is apparently positioning as the conservative’s preferred alternative leadership candidate), are talking up the idea of a constitutional referendum which would ensure change never happened, and isn’t even necessary because we already know the federal government has the power to make laws about marriage, as the attorney general very pointedly pointed out to his cabinet colleague on national television.

The ministerial slugfest via TV grabs continued through Friday in a kind of real-time display of government divisions. Perhaps if the cabinet had been consulted before the surprise party-room meeting and had come up with a strategy things would have turned out differently. But there are a lot of same-sex marriage supporters in cabinet, so that might have got in the way of the tricky.

The “people’s vote versus politician’s vote” slogan strategy was designed to “neutralise” the issue, but in fact has ensured it will continue to be an issue right through the next poll. Tricky has quickly turned into a political car crash.

The Coalition’s new climate change targets may yet turn into another example. They aren’t enough to meet Australia’s share of limiting global warming to 2C and they are behind many developed nations but they aren’t as low as some of the government’s previous decisions on climate policy might have led us to anticipate.

Live Tony Abbott faces worsening polls and same-sex marriage bill – parliament live

The government would face a loss of 36 seats according to the latest Fairfax polling as parliament resumes today, as the Coalition MP Warren Entsch introduced his same-sex marriage bill. Follow the day’s news live …

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This, we are informed by numerous commentators, is so the government can run the slogan that it will protect the environment without wrecking the economy (like Labor will). But there is, as yet, almost no detail about how the government intends to meet the target and therefore no way to measure the economic cost of either plan. The government got around this by the Daily Telegraph suddenly unearthing three-year old modelling of targets it asserted were Labor’s. When there are actual costing of alternative policies the cost may not be all that different. And, in any event, polls show voters are willing to wear some cost increases, and don’t trust the Coalition’s bona fides.

More tricky-gone-wrong came with the revelations about the royal commission into trade union corruption.

It was designed with two main objectives in mind – to examine deeply concerning allegations concerning some trade unions and to mortally wound the one-time union leader Bill Shorten. The former could have been achieved with the judicial inquiry the Coalition promised during the election campaign, or by using existing processes, such as the courts. But the latter was obviously much better served by the gravitas of a royal commission. It was reported at the time that the Coalition was so enthusiastic in pursuing its political goals that the terms of reference had to be corrected in cabinet because as originally drafted they would have actually set up a royal commission into the Labor party rather than the labour movement.

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It was this real suspicion of political motivation that lent lethal credibility to the revelation that the royal commissioner Dyson Heydon had agreed to speak at a Liberal party fundraiser – a fact that will be used to try to shut down the hearings, sully the commission’s findings and certainly blunt its usefulness as a tricky political manoeuvre.

And this week came after many other examples of backfiring trickery – like the attempt to head off cabinet discontent over unconstitutional and unworkable citizenship laws (that had been flagged for a year in the media but never presented in detail to the cabinet) by getting backbenchers to write a letter asking that they go further. Almost every constitutional lawyer in the country has now lined up to say the bill is, indeed, likely to be unconstitutional and may even lead to the stripping of the citizenship of scores of folk convicted in the past of damaging commonwealth property. It is unclear how the government intends to handle this.

At the same time the government’s policy agenda is thin and confused, its days filled with ad hoc announcements, and protestations about jobs and growth and ill-defined stories about intentions to get even tougher on national security than its already extremely tough stance.

Voters had already lost trust in the prime minister, dating back to his first ill-considered budget. His colleagues’ faith got pretty shaky earlier this year as well. They are now once again expressing despair. As the divisions deepen and the polls get worse, the Coalition is again descending into a self-defeating cycle of instability, suspicions and second guessing of the leadership intentions of Turnbull or Morrison or Julie Bishop.

Some argue the government just needs a clear narrative to sell its policies. But that would require the trickiness to be set aside long enough to figure out what they are.

Coalition a victim of its own trickiness as colleagues lose faith in Tony Abbott | Lenore Taylor | Australia news | The Guardian

Daniel Hurst Political correspondent Monday 10 August 2015

Former incumbent Bronwyn Bishop resigned a week ago after becoming embroiled in an expenses scandal

Tony Smith has been nominated by the Liberal party to be the new Speaker. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Victorian Liberal MP Tony Smith has been elected as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after the resignation of Bronwyn Bishop from the key parliamentary post over a travel expenses scandal.

Smith, a former staffer to Peter Costello and until now the chair of the joint standing committee an electoral matters, pledged to give all MPs a fair go but also called for an improved level of discourse.

Smith, the MP for Casey since 2001, also promised 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.

“It’s my view that the Speaker should not only be but also should be seen to be independent of the partisan day-to-day foray,” Smith told parliament after his elevation to the role.

“I think the decision is symbolic but it’s also practical.”

Smith was one of four MPs to seek the position at a Liberal party room meeting in Canberra on Monday morning, prior to the resumption of parliament.

The house met at 10am to elect the new Speaker as its first item of business after the winter parliamentary recess.

Live Tony Smith elected as new Speaker as parliament resumes – politics live

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Smith was nominated by the MP for the neighbouring seat of Deakin, Michael Sukkar, and the motion was seconded by the MP for Robertson, Lucy Wicks.

Sukkar said Smith had the experience, temperament and strength necessary to instil respect and trust in the institutions of parliament.

“He is a Holden man through and through,” Sukkar added.

There were no other nominations from the floor of the parliament, leading to the declaration that Smith was elected as Speaker.

Tony Abbott, who had vowed to avoid another “captain’s pick” in the Speaker selection, congratulated Smith on assuming “this high and important office”.

The prime minister said he was confident Smith would maintain order in the house by commanding the respect of both sides of the chamber.

Abbott, who moved the motion to nominate Bishop after the 2013 election, also praised the former Speaker for being “a warrior for the causes that she believed in”.

“Despite some admitted errors of judgment, she has served this parliament, our country and her party with dedication and distinction for over 30 years,” he said.

The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, called on the new Speaker to apply standing orders fairly to both sides of the house and to ensure straightforward questions led to straightforward answers from ministers.

Shorten welcomed Smith’s pledge not to attend party room meetings and said he brought to the role “a proud tradition of advocating for a more accountable, more representative Australian democracy”.

“For all our clashes with the former Speaker, we wish her well,” Shorten said.

The leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, added his voice to the tributes to Bishop, but said Labor parliamentarians’ comments were inconsistent with their “not-so-generous remarks not long ago”.

“I seconded her nomination two years ago to be Speaker,” Pyne said. “She has been felled in most unfair circumstances by politics today.”

Smith recognised Bishop for being “a wonderful servant of our party”.

“Can I thank the house for the confidence you have placed in me. There is no greater honour in the parliament than to be elected by one’s peers. I’m a servant of this house and all of its members.”

Smith said he would give a fair go to all MPs in the chamber, but in return he expected a level of discourse that reflected that.

He said while parliament should be a robust place because it was the arena for the battle of ideas and ideals; “it needn’t be rude and it needn’t be loud”.

“That is something I’d like to see improved,” he said.

Smith said he had friends on both sides of the chamber and he would seek to meet periodically with the leader of the house, the manager of opposition business and independent MPs to discuss the operation of parliament.

Earlier, Smith said he had been humbled by the support he received from the party room.

He also thanked the three other Liberal candidates for the speakership – Russell Broadbent from Victoria, Andrew Southcott from South Australia, and Ross Vasta from Queensland – saying they were his friends.

“I think that friendship amongst the four of us was reflected in the civility of this contest,” he said after the party room meeting. “That’s all I’m going to say. The house begins in about 15 minutes so I’m just going to go off and prepare for that.”

The final vote in the Liberal party room was between Broadbent and Smith. Smith won that contest by 51 votes to 22.

Abbott left the party room meeting together with Bishop, whom he kissed on the cheek in front of the cameras.

The Greens MP Adam Bandt urged Smith not to forget independent and minor party MPs, saying over 20% of Australians did not vote for either Labor or the Coalition.

Tony Smith chosen as new Speaker of the House of Representatives | Australia news | The Guardian

Gabrielle Chan Tuesday 4 August 2015

Prime minister reveals he won’t make a ‘captain’s pick’ to choose new Speaker, adding that it’s likely his friend’s career in parliament ‘is substantially at an end’

Bronwyn Bishop and Tony Abbott in Parliament House in June. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Tony Abbott has admitted he will pay a personal price for failing to act sooner to remove his friend and ally Bronwyn Bishop amid the scandal over her expenses and said he would not make a “captain’s pick” to replace her.

“The government has inevitably paid a price and I dare say there will be a little personal price for me but let’s not forget that, while Bronwyn has made some very serious mistakes, ultimately she was the one who paid the highest price,” Abbott said.

“She lost the position that she loved and it’s likely her career in parliament is substantially at an end. That’s a high price for someone who has dedicated 30-odd years to public service.”

Abbott’s admission comes after February’s failed leadership spill motion when he pleaded with his colleagues for six months to turn around the government’s fortunes. The return to parliamentary sitting on Monday will be the six-month anniversary of his “near-death experience”.

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The first order of the day will be a Liberal party room meeting to choose the next Speaker before parliament sits at 10am. That meeting will decide the Coalition’s nomination for the role.

Jockeying has begun among Liberal MPs for one of the most prestigious jobs in the parliament. It offers a pay rise of 75% on a backbencher salary along with extra staff and office facilities.

While a clear favourite has yet to emerge, Liberal members are agreed on the fact that Abbott should not make another “captain’s pick”.

“My instinct is not to make a captain’s pick,” he said on Tuesday.

Bishop was Abbott’s personal choice for Speaker after the 2013 election and he said she had done a “good job” in recent times.

“I think Bronny has done a good job in the chair, particularly in the last six to 12 months. Inevitably all of us take a bit of time to settle into these positions but I think Bronwyn has deftly handled the parliament in recent times.”

A number of Liberal backbenchers have expressed interest or been raised as potential speakers. They include the South Australian MP Andrew Southcott, the Victorian MP Tony Smith, the father of the house, Philip Ruddock, and the Victorian MPs Sharman Stone and Russell Broadbent.

Abbott said he had spoken to Southcott, whom he declared was an “excellent bloke”.

“I’m going to try to avoid so-called captain’s picks here, in the end, this is a matter for the Liberal party room to choose a nominee for the speakership,” he said.

“This will be a party room process, as it should be. I’m confident there will be a number of candidates … may the best one of them first of all win the nomination and then hopefully become the Speaker.

Bronwyn Bishop says her chief of staff would be a good successor in Mackellar

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Abbott’s prediction about the end of Bishop’s parliamentary career will also ignite interest in her seat of Mackellar, which takes in Sydney’s northern beaches next to the prime minister’s seat of Warringah.

Bishop’s preference was her staffer Damien Jones, though his role in the entitlements scandal is considered to have lessened his chances among local Liberal members.

Bishop resigned as Speaker on Sunday, three weeks after revelations that she took a $5,000 helicopter trip from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal party fundraiser. It was followed by a series of revelations about her entitlements spending.

Abbott announced a whole-scale review of the entitlements system – to be led by former head of the Department of Finance, David Tune, and the head of the remuneration tribunal, John Conde – which will aim to give “the public confidence”.

Tony Abbott says he will pay a personal price for backing Bronwyn Bishop | Australia news | The Guardian

Shalailah Medhora and Lenore Taylor Sunday 2 August 2015

Party room ballot could decide successor to Bishop as Tony Abbott tries to draw a line under the damaging affair by launching a ‘root and branch’ review of expenses

Bronwyn Bishop: ‘It is because of my love and respect for the institution of the parliament and the Australian people that I have resigned.’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Coalition MPs are demanding a real say in the selection of a new Speaker after the embattled Bronwyn Bishop finally resigned to end the expenses scandal paralysing the Abbott government.

Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker – as it happened

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Bishop was Tony Abbott’s “captain’s pick” for the job after the 2013 election victory, but MPs say a return to a Coalition party room ballot for the position, and the selection of a new Speaker seen as truly independent, would help repair the damage the government has sustained over the affair.

Tony Abbott announces an inquiry into politicians’ entitlements. Link to video

Contenders include the “father of the house” and former Howard government minister Philip Ruddock, veteran Victorian MP Russell Broadbent and Nationals MP and former minister Bruce Scott.

Despite insisting on Thursday she would not be resigning, the scandal continued and Bishop finally tendered her resignation as Speaker of the House on Sunday. The prime minister made the announcement on Sunday afternoon.

“Regrettably, not withstanding rules that this government put in place ... there are still too many situations where members of parliament can do things that are inside entitlement, but outside public expectations,” Abbott told reporters.

Abbott was keen to take the focus off Bishop, saying the system was broken.

“This has obviously been a very difficult day for Bronwyn Bishop,” he said.

Bronwyn Bishop: formidable political warrior who walked a rocky road

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“I believe that in the vast majority of cases, for the vast majority of the time, that is exactly what the public has got. They have got people in the parliament who are serving them to the best of their ability,” the prime minister said.

“Nevertheless, it has become apparent over the last few weeks, particularly in recent days, that the system does need fundamental reform. That’s exactly what there will be under this government because the public deserves it.”

He announced a whole-scale review of the entitlements system – to be led by the former head of the Department of Finance, David Tune, and the head of the Remuneration Tribunal, John Conde – which will aim to give “the public confidence”.

Abbott said it will not be a “quickie” review, but rather a “root and branch” audit of the system.

The review will report back to the government in the first half of 2016.

Technically the Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives, but the government’s numbers mean its nomination will get the job. During the Howard years the Coalition nomination was on occasions decided by a Coalition party room ballot.

Some commentators had suggested independent Cathy McGowan for the job, but she said she wasn’t interested.

Bronwyn Bishop had to be forced out – but some good may come of the scandal

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“I’m absolutely focussing on being the member for Indi,” she said. “It’s got to be someone from the government.”

The scandal began on 15 July when it was revealed the Speaker spent over $5,200 to charter a luxury helicopter for an 80km trip from Melbourne to a golf club in Geelong in November 2014 where she spoke at a Liberal party 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.

She said the use of the money was “within the guidelines” but revelations on Sunday that she spent more than $1,000 on limousines in one day when she was an opposition minister in 2012 proved the last straw.

Ministers were reduced to daily fire fighting duties as each new story forced some kind of government response.

But the furore ended when Bishop issued a statement on Sunday explaining her decision.

“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 as Speaker,” she said.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said Bishop’s resignation was overdue.

“Mr Abbott has blamed the system, but it was Mrs Bishop’s addiction to privilege that was the real culprit,” Shorten said in a statement.

He said the announcement of the review should not absolve Abbott of publicly releasing the finance department’s investigation into Bishop’s alleged misuse of entitlements.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who had vowed to bring about a no confidence motion in the Speaker along with Clive Palmer, said the federal police should investigate whether Bishop has committed any criminal fraud. He said he was relieved by her resignation.

“Thank God for that. Watching this saga unfold was worse than getting your wisdom teeth out,” Wilkie said in a statement.

He wanted the review to stamp out the practice of MPs “tripping around Australia for all sorts of private reasons”.

Coalition MPs demand proper say on next Speaker as Bronwyn Bishop quits | Australia news | The Guardian

August 03, 2015 12:16PM

Labor has called for an investigation report to be made public despite Speaker Bronwyn Bishop's resignation. Play Video

Bronwyn Bishop has resigned as Speaker after becoming embroiled in a travel expenses scandal. Source: AP

EXCLUSIVE

Veteran MP Philip Ruddock has declared he is available for the role of Speaker and has vowed to be “fair”, “fearless” and “non-partisan” if he secured the role.

The Father of the House, who has been in federal parliament since 1973, said he is happy to serve in the position if that is what his colleagues wanted.

“I’ve had a small number of people call me about whether or not I would be interested in the role,” Mr Ruddock told News Corp Australia.

“But I am not going to pre-empt what all my colleagues want. If they do decide they want me as Speaker I am available and happy to serve.”

However Mr Ruddock said those small number of colleagues did not yet include the Prime Minister.

“I suspect he is going to wait and see what the majority of the party wants,” Mr Ruddock said.

The 72-year-old said if he was placed in the role of Speaker he would seek to be a “middle ground” Speaker.

“I hope I would be fair and fearless,” the member for Berowra in Sydney said.

“I think when you are in that position you do need to step back from being unduly partisan.

“If you look at the Westminster system, on which ours is modelled, that is the way Speakers have been over time.”

Ready to work ... Phillip Ruddock said he’d be willing to take the role of Speaker. Source: Supplied

Asked to reflect on former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop’s style - who was often criticised for being too partisan - Mr Ruddock simply said he would be more of a middle ground speaker, if his colleagues chose him for the role.

“I would say some people like that (partisan) style but I prefer more of a middle ground approach,” Mr Ruddock said.

“I would point people to my position as Deputy Speaker in the 1980s and judge me based on that.”

The veteran MP, who is the longest serving parliamentarian in the House of Representatives, was dumped as chief government whip by the Prime Minister following the leadership spill in February.

Mr Ruddock was said to be privately furious about the move which pinned him for apparently not keeping Mr Abbott adequately informed of the level of discontent amongst his party.

However, publicly, Mr Ruddock respected the move.

SHORTEN: BISHOP LOVED THE ‘HIGH LIFE’

His comments come as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten criticised Bronwyn Bishop, saying she was addicted to spending in the wake of her resignation over travel expenses.

“What is clear is that Ms Bishop was addicted to the high life,” the Opposition Leader told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.

Asked if politicians should all fly economy class rather than business, as suggested recently by western Sydney MP Craig Laundy, Mr Shorten agreed.

“If it is a short distance then yes probably so,” Mr Shorten said.

Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten criticises Bronwyn Bishop’s spending habits. Picture: AAP Source: AAP

MALCOLM TURNBULL WARNS MPS

His comments come after Malcolm Turnbull urged his colleagues to rein in their entitlement spending, and instead view expense claims “as though it was our own money”.

The Communications Minister, who last week took a train from Melbourne to Geelong in an apparent swipe at Ms Bishop extravagant helicopter ride, said the culture of entitlement needed to cease.

“I personally like to take public transport because I find it more interesting and engaging,” Mr Turnbull told ABC Radio.

“But however you get around you’ve got to bear in mind that it is other people’s money and to use it responsibly and prudently. And to use no more than you need to do your job.”

While he welcomed the Prime Minister’s announced review into the entitlement system, ultimately Mr Turnbull said it was up to individual members and senators to do the right thing.

“At the end of the day it depends on individual members and senators spending no more than they need to get the job done,” he said.

Twitter photo tweeted by Malcolm Turnbull of himself catching the train from Melbourne to Geelong to visit Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson. No helicopters used. Source: Twitter

“I also take issue with the whole word entitlements - you’re not entitled to anything. If you were working for a business it would simply be called travel expenses because it is the expenses of doing your job.”

Mr Turnbull believed a smartphone app can bring the parliamentary entitlements system into the 21st century.

Mr Turnbull has welcomed a review into the system, telling Sky News it was stuck “very much in the last century” with the potential for plenty of money and paperwork to be saved.

WILKIE CALLS ON AFP TO INVESTIGATE

Key independent Andrew Wilkie, who was prepared to co-sponsor a motion of no confidence in Ms Bishop if she did not resign as Speaker, said he believed the Australian Federal Police needed to investigate any potential fraudulent activity.

“I am pleased that Bronwyn Bishop has finally seen sense and resigned from the Speakership, but that must not be the end of it,” Mr Wilkie told ABC radio.

“Some of the trips she has taken could be said to be fraudulent.

“I am not accusing Bronwyn Bishop of fraud I am simply saying on the face of it there is something very dodgy here and it really should be looked into by the Australian Federal Police not the finance department.”

Andrew Wilkie says the AFP should investigate if Bronwyn Bishop committed fraud. Source: News Corp Australia

Mr Wilkie said he had personally experienced his colleagues coming to Tasmania for private trips and then asking to meet with him for a coffee so they could claim the trip on entitlements.

“If any member of parliament including the Speaker has gone on a trip and paid for it at public expense, if that person was actually on a principally private trip and he or she signs a form at the time saying it was an official trip principally for official purposes then that is fraud,” Mr Wilkie said.

Parliamentary secretary Steve Ciobo told ABC TV today the Bronwyn Bishop’s travel expenses saga “diminishes all of us as members of parliament”.

Politicians had two tests to satisfy with their travel claims - the parliamentary rules and community expectations.

Mr Ciobo said it would be great if a woman replaced Mrs Bishop as Speaker.

“I think it’s important to have someone who is strong and someone who has some experience with the parliament obviously,” he said.

Ms Bishop yesterday announced her resignation after three weeks of furore over her expense claims.

BETS ON RUDDOCK TO REPLACE BISHOP

The Herald Sun originally revealed that the speaker last year paid $5227 to charter a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong at taxpayer expense. The journey takes just over an hour by car.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday announced a review into the entitlements system and said the rules were ambiguous.

The contest for the coveted role of Speaker is set to intensify today after Mr Abbott began consultations with colleagues last night.

Cabinet Minister Scott Morrison who last week refused to back Ms Bishop said whoever took her job needed to be the right candidate.

“I think there are a lot of good candidates and it is important the parliament now does its job,” Mr Morrison told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.

“Obviously Philip is the father of the house and is very experienced and a very good candidate but there are many other good candidates and I think its important for the party to go through the grass roots process to move forward with a new speaker.”

Bookies have Mr Ruddock as the firm favourite to take the Speaker’s chair.

Mr Ruddock’s odds have shortened from $4 down to $2 according to the latest run sheet.

Larger than life independent MP Clive Palmer is the longest odds at $251 out from $101.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott held a press conference to announce that Bronwyn Bishop resigned from the position of speaker. Source: News Corp Australia

ALTERNATIVE SPEAKER OPTIONS

By Peter Jean

Senior South Australian federal Liberal MP Andrew Southcott has emerged as a possible replacement.

Dr Southcott, who has been the MP for Boothby since 1996, is being promoted as an alternative to “Father of the House’’ Philip Ruddock and soon-to-retire Nationals MP Bruce Scott.

The former medical practitioner has confirmed he has been approached by colleagues about running for the post.

“I’m flattered that my name has been mentioned. It’s not a position I’ve been seeking and I’ll be talking with my colleagues,’’ Dr Southcott said.

“It would be an honour for any member to be Speaker.’’

Dr Southcott served as an opposition shadow minister and parliamentary secretary between 2007 and 2013.

Labor wants Deputy Speaker Bruce Scott to take over from Mrs Bishop.

Mr Scott, a Queensland Liberal National Party MP, is planning to retire from Parliament at the next election.

Another possible candidate is Victorian Liberal MP Sharman Stone, who recently spoke out in favour of the Coalition preselecting more female candidates for Parliament.

The Speaker is elected by the House of Representatives. The Coalition’s majority on the floor of the House ensures its candidate will be elected.

The government parties are expected to meet next week to select a candidate.

Bronwyn Bishop resignation: Malcolm Turnbull urges MPs to spend less

August 03, 2015 6:42AM

Bronwyn Bishop has resigned as Speaker , the PM has launched a review into MP's entitlements. Play video

THE contest for the coveted role of Speaker is set to intensify today after Prime Minister Tony Abbott began consultations with colleagues last night.

But anyone considering the job will be wary of the curse that has been attached to the coveted job in past times, with Bronwyn Bishop joining the list of high-profile casualties including Peter Slipper and “Leaping” Leo McLeay.

Possible contenders for the position include Queenslander Bruce Scott, who has already regularly filled in for Mrs Bishop.

His selection would bring a calmness to the role and he would enjoy Labor’s support. He is expected to announce today his retirement from the seat of Maranoa at the 2016 poll.

Philip Ruddock is also well qualified thanks to his knowledge of the Parliament, while Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has been mentioned by Labor.

Peter Slipper: forced to quit. Source: News Limited

It’s also possible Mr Abbott will call for nominations and have the party room vote in the next Speaker, who undoubtedly will be hoping to avoid the scandals that have afflicted the role in the past.

Who could forget Mr McLeay and the folding pushbike, for example? Speaker between 1989 and 1993 in the Hawke and Keating Labor governments, the former Marrickville councillor quit as Speaker following accusations he had falsely claimed compensation after an accident involving a folding bike he had hired from Parliament House. The bike collapsed on him and Mr McLeay broke his arm.

Then there was Mr Slipper, and sex claims and his Cabcharge vouchers.

In 2012, his former staffer James Ashby tried to sue Mr Slipper and the Commonwealth, claiming the former Speaker had made unwelcome advances.

Mr Slipper resigned in October 2012 and the Commonwealth settled with Mr Ashby out of court. Last year Mr Ashby dropped the case against Mr Slipper.

In February this year, Mr Slipper won his appeal against three dishonesty convictions over misusing his Cabcharge allowance in 2010 to visit Canberra wineries.

Bronwyn Bishop resigns: Search on for new Speaker

News Limited Copyright © 2015.

August 03, 2015 1:32PM

Bishop's resignation 'too late': Liberal MPs Play video

• Bishop's resignation 'too late': Liberal MPs

SALARY aside, it’s not a particularly alluring “position vacant” advertisement.

WANTED: New Speaker of the House of Representatives

WOULD SUIT: Someone unlikely to be made a minister, or unlikely to want to be a minister.

QUALIFICATIONS: A thorough knowledge of the mechanisms and procedures of the House of Representatives, and a keen appreciation of which side your bread is buttered.

DUTIES: Managing the Department of the House of Representatives and conducting proceedings of the House in a manner which would allow for full and free debate as long as it suited the Government, which could use its numbers to ignore whatever you have to say.

CAREER PROSPECTS: Not red hot given recent history, which has seen the forced resignation of two Speakers. But if it all goes well there could be a comfy diplomatic posting on the horizon.

REMUNERATION: Salary around $340,000 plus expenses (though not as good as they were three weeks ago)

CONTACT: Office of the Prime Minister

There will be people contacting Prime Minister Tony Abbott by one route or another to express an interest in the job, one of the plums of the parliamentary pudding that was held until yesterday by Bronwyn Bishop.

One candidate could be Deputy Speaker Bruce Scott, a Queensland rural Nationals MP who announced today he would retire at the election scheduled for late next year.

Usually the dominant Coalition party, the Liberals, would want one of their own in the job but there is a precedent. Former Nationals leader Ian Sinclair was made Speaker for his final months in Parliament, serving from March to November, 1998.

It was an appropriate farewell for a distinguished MP and the same might apply to Mr Scott.

The Prime Minister might be interested in finding a woman to succeed a woman. Mrs Bishop was the third woman in the Speaker’s chair and the first Liberal. Mr Abbott, who has just two women in cabinet, might look for another to put in this important job.

Candidates might include hardworking Queenslander Jane Prentice, although she was a public critic of Mr Abbott’s leadership back in February and this might not be seen as recommending her for the post.

Or perhaps it will be Sharman Stone, a former minister and a rural MP from outside the Sydney/Melbourne axis. However, she has shown an independent streak which might not be appreciated by some.

The usual practice is to canvas the experienced men who might take on the job, and there are a couple.

Philip Ruddock is Father of the House (its longest serving member) and has the respect of his colleagues. In a parliamentary career which began in 1973, he has a fair idea of how the place works — and how it should work.

One drawback to his candidacy is that Mr Abbott sacked Mr Ruddock as Government Whip earlier this year. This was seen as punishment for not protecting Mr Abbott against the mounting discontent which almost saw the Prime Minister forced into a leadership ballot. This could mean Mr Ruddock’s Speakership prospects are not golden.

Another possibility is Russell Broadbent, a tough fighter who has won, lost and regained Victorian seats since 1990. He had been considered a bit went on asylum seekers but recently made clear his support for Government policy.

There will be other possible and probable. It’s unfortunate none of them will resemble the most ferocious holder of the job, the Menzies appointment Archie Cameron (1950-56), a man who ruled with an iron enforcement of standing orders.

“As Speaker, he was certainly autocratic and at times eccentric, yet Labor’s Clyde Cameron summed him up as ‘easily the best Speaker in living memory’. Archie’s integrity was never held in doubt, even by his severest critic,” records the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

Come back Archie in our hour of need.

Bronwyn Bishop resigns: Who will be the next Speaker of the House?

Sunday 2 August 2015

© AAP Image/Mick Tsikas Bronwyn Bishop has been under intense pressure to quit as Speaker after a number of alleged misuses of parliamentary entitlements were revealed.

Bronwyn Bishop has resigned as Speaker of the House of Representatives following sustained pressure over her travel expenses.

Mrs Bishop had faced fierce criticism for more than three weeks, since it was first revealed she had spent more than $5,000 chartering a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong in November to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser.

She has paid back the money — plus a 25 per cent penalty — and last week apologised for the "ridiculous" chopper ride expense claim.

"I have today written to the Governor-General and tendered my resignation as Speaker of the House of Representatives effective immediately," Mrs Bishop said in a statement.

"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."

Yesterday Mrs Bishop declined to comment on reports she claimed $6,000 last year chartering a plane to fly her 160 kilometres from Sydney to Nowra.

The Finance Department is currently investigating Mrs Bishop's use of charter flights and other entitlement claims over the past decade.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters in Sydney the Government would hold a "root and branch review" of the entitlements system.

Mr Abbott said the review will be conducted by former secretary of the Department of Finance, David Tune, and Remuneration Tribunal chairman John Conde and is designed to create a system that is "simple, effective and clear".

"What has become apparent, particularly over the last few days, is that the problem is not any particular individual; the problem is the entitlement system more generally," he said.

"We have a situation where spending is arguably inside the rules, but plainly outside of community expectations, and that's what needs to be dealt with once and for all."

Mr Abbott said it had been a "very difficult day" for Mrs Bishop, but she had done the right thing by people of Australia.

"Today is not the day to offer an appreciation of Bronwyn Bishop's long parliamentary career, her long career in public life," he said.

"I have a great deal of personal respect for Bronwyn Bishop and without wanting to underplay the significance of some of the errors of judgement, which she herself has conceded and apologised for, I think she has certainly done the right thing today.

"No-one who saw Bronwyn on television the other day could be under any doubt as to her remorse."

Shorten, Wilkie say Bishop's resignation 'overdue'

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mrs Bishop's resignation was "overdue and unrepentant" and called on Mr Abbott to release the findings of the Finance Department's investigation into Mrs Bishop.

"Unfortunately Tony Abbott still won't accept that Bronwyn Bishop has done anything wrong," he said.

"Mr Abbott has blamed the system, but it was Mrs Bishop's addiction to privilege that was the real culprit."

Earlier on Sunday the Labor leader declared "enough is enough" and said Mr Abbott should lean on Mrs Bishop to resign.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie also said Mrs Bishop's resignation was overdue and urged the Australian Federal Police to investigate her use of entitlements.

"Watching this saga unfold was worse than getting your wisdom teeth out," he said.

"The Prime Minister is wrong to suggest that this comes down to the gap between current entitlements and community expectations.

"The fact is that the current entitlements rules do not allow a member or senator to go somewhere principally for private reasons and then to certify it as an official trip. To do so is fraud."

Bishop's tumultuous time as Speaker

Mrs Bishop was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives when the Coalition came to power in 2013 and was seen as a "captain's pick" for being Mr Abbott's personal choice.

Since then she has been labelled a "biased" Speaker for ejecting Labor MPs at a far greater rate than Coalition members.

Mrs Bishop has served in Federal Parliament for almost 28 years, with 21 of those as the member for the Lower House Sydney seat of Mackellar and a further six years as a senator.

She served as the minister for defence, industry, science and personnel.

Mrs Bishop has had a long association with the Liberal party, joining it at the age of 17 and earning herself a reputation as a fierce party warrior.

After the party's defeat in the 1993 election she was touted as a potential leader but never stood as a candidate.

She is the longest serving female member of Federal Parliament.

Mrs Bishop turns 73 in October.

Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker

By political reporter Jane Norman Saturday 1 August 2015

Photo: Bronwyn Bishop has refused to comment on her travel claim which is under review by the Finance Department. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Related Story: Bishop saga shows politicians cannot exploit rules: Abbott

Related Story: Clive Palmer says Speaker Bronwyn Bishop should quit, let someone younger in

The Speaker's office has refused to comment on reports Bronwyn Bishop spent $6,000 chartering a plane for a 160-kilometre trip from Sydney to Nowra last year.

Mrs Bishop was invited to speak at two seniors' forums in the marginal electorate of Gilmore in November and, while she was there, attended two fundraisers for local Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis.

News Corp has reported the private plane cost taxpayers $6,000 but a spokesman for Mrs Bishop would not confirm or deny the report.

"These matters are now being reviewed by the Department of Finance and it would be inappropriate to continue commentary now this process is underway," the statement said.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has seized on the report which suggests there is a personal link between Mrs Bishop's office and the charter company she has been using.

"These allegations take this entire saga to a new level, to an absolutely new level," he said.

"What we're talking about now is not simply whether the rules have been broken but whether or not there's an extra layer of completely inappropriate conduct."

Mrs Bishop has been under sustained pressure after it was revealed she spent more than $5,000 chartering a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong in November to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser.

The Speaker repaid the money, with a 25 per cent penalty, and last week apologised to the Australian public for what she described as a "ridiculous" claim.

But that has not satisfied Mrs Bishop's critics, with the Opposition calling on her to resign as Speaker, and independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer announcing they would move a motion of no-confidence in her when Parliament resumes on August 10.

Mr Wilkie said Mrs Bishop was "undoubtedly a serial abuser" of parliamentary entitlements and was "entirely unfit" to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"She must step down immediately from the position and repay every cent," he said.

Foreign Minister and deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said there were "grey areas" in the entitlements system, but MPs ultimately need to use their judgement.

"I don't want to go into a running commentary on each and every expense claim of each and every member of parliament because I understand the Department of Finance is looking into Speaker Bronwyn Bishop's claims," she told Channel 9.

"There are many grey areas in parliamentarians' entitlements between party functions, between community functions.

"It comes down to judgement."

More on this story:

• Bronwyn Bishop apologises, says she will repay all money spent on weddings but won't stand down
• Politicians cannot get away with exploiting rules, says Prime Minister Tony Abbott
• Labor's Tony Burke threatens parliamentary payback if Bronwyn Bishop remains as Speaker
• Clive Palmer says 'very biased' Speaker Bronwyn Bishop should quit, let someone younger in

Bronwyn Bishop: Speaker's office refuses to comment on reports $6,000 spent on Sydney-Nowra plane trip - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)