Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

might be the way that Labor operates within the union movement. It might be the way that the Labor Party operates within its factions—grubby, secret deals—but it is no way to run a country. The naked arrogance of this government is now on full display.

A Speaker who has done an outstanding job has resigned in the middle of a fine career. In relation to the speakership, we have no idea what was offered or, indeed, what was threatened. The government came into this chamber and trashed a very important convention that has underpinned our democratic traditions. The role of the Speaker is not some plaything of the faceless men of the Labor Party. It is a key institution within our parliamentary democracy. It is a position that must be treated with the utmost respect. The tradition of this place calls for the Speaker to be nominated from the ranks of the government. Today the Prime Minister showed her disrespect for those traditions and for the foundations of our democracy and, through her disrespect for the parliament, her disrespect for the Australian people.

But should we be surprised? There is a long history of this Prime Minister treating the parliament and the Australian public with contempt. Just a few days ago, the Prime Minister struck a secret deal with the Greens to pass its mining tax—buying votes for support on the floor of the House. The Prime Minister then forced the parliament to vote on the legislation throughout the night without the full knowledge of the deal that she had struck with the Greens. Little wonder that international investors are talking about sovereign risk in Australia.

Government members interjecting—

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