By JESSE GRAHAM
Update: 11.11AM.
CASEY MP Tony Smith has been elected as the 30th Speaker of the House of Representatives in Canberra.
Mr Smith, who has held the seat of Casey since 2001, was voted in to the role with 51 votes to 22, in a partyroom meeting on Monday 10 August.
Speculation was rife in the week leading up to the vote on who may take over from former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop, who resigned amid an expenses scandal, with Mr Smith the frontrunner for the role.
After being dragged to the chair, as is tradition, by Deakin MP Michael Sukkar and Robertson MP Lucy Wicks, Mr Smith told the Parliament that he would give all members “a fair go”.
“I want to say at the outset, I will give a fair go to all on the floor of this chamber,” he said.
“But, in turn, I do expect a level of discourse that reflects that.”
He said discussions in Parliament should be “robust”, but not “rude” or “loud”, and that he sought to improve the manner of debate on the House floor.
Mr Smith said that, with his taking up of the new role, he would not attend weekly Liberal partyroom meetings, which had been a point of contention under Ms Bishop’s speakership.
“It is my view that the speaker should not only be, but should be seen to be, independent of the partisan day-to-day fray,” he said.
“I think the decision is symbolic but also practical.”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt and a number of other members made speeches congratulating Mr Smith on the role, with the latter expressing that Mr Smith had the Greens’ “full support”.
Mr Abbott was one of the first to congratulate the new Speaker.
“As the Speaker, you, sir, are the custodian of the traditions of this House,” Mr Abbott said.
“Your job is to maintain order in this House, by commanding the respect of both sides of the chamber.
“I am confident, based on our friendship and comradeship going back some quarter of a century that this is exactly what you will do.”
Mr Shorten said that Mr Smith would bring the opportunity to restore “a role of independence to the job of Speaker”.
“Serving as Speaker is a privilege, not a prize – a responsibility, not a reward,” he said.
“You can make this a place where straightforward questions get straightforward answers, where the speaker manages debate without seeking to participate in it.”
The Mail contacted Mr Smith’s office last week, with questions about his potential Speakership, including whether he thought he would still be able to fairly represent the electorate of Casey if he took up the role.
Speakers, by tradition, are supposed to be independent of party politics.
However, neither Mr Smith nor a representative from his office responded to the Mail before deadline.
