Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

This is an inconsistency and Australians should know it. The Leader of the Opposition has said publicly that during the life of this parliament we should have an independent Speaker in the Westminster tradition. For him to come into this parliament and to suggest that to have the current Speaker here is somehow in breach of the Westminster tradition just shows how he will spin anything, misrepresent anything to try and reinforce his views.

Let us look at what is happening in Westminster today. In Westminster today, the current Speaker of the House of Commons is a Conservative but was elected under the last Labour government. That is what is happening in the House of Commons today.

Opposition members interjecting—

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