Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Maranoa. It is obviously a tremendous honour for an opposition member of parliament to win a ballot in this chamber, and the fact that the member for Maranoa has won the ballot for the deputy speakership testifies to his qualities as a man, as a member of this parliament and as a Deputy Speaker. Yet again we are in unusual circumstances with a member of the opposition is elected as Deputy Speaker. I presume that the standing orders will now operate in the ordinary way and we will have to have another ballot, but I congratulate the member for Maranoa on his election to this high office.

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