Harry’s reasons

Harry Jenkins has ended the parliamentary year with a surprise, announcing he will resign as Speaker today:

In a statement to Parliament, Speaker Jenkins said he’d divorced himself from party political matters in order to carry out his duties in a non-partisan manner. “In this era of minority government I have progressively become frustrated at this stricture,” he said. “My desire is to be able to participate in policy and parliamentary debate, and this would be incompatible with continuing in the role of Speaker.”

Which is no huge deal if that’s all there is to it. But with the rift between Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper and his party widening of late – the LNP is presently considering disciplinary action against him – the suspicion exists that the government has reached an arrangement with him. If so, the return of Jenkins to the floor would enable the government to win confidence motions 76-73 rather than 75-74. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Events are moving quicker than my iPad typing speed. Phillip Coorey of the Sydney Morning Herald reports:

The Liberal MP, Peter Slipper, is likely to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives after Labor’s Harry Jenkins resigned this morning, shocking the Parliament on its final sitting day for 2011. Labor MPs will be asked to approve Mr Slipper’s nomination at a special caucus meeting scheduled for 10am.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,458 comments on “Harry’s reasons”

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  1. Harry might need to do an interview or two before the ‘Julia made him do it!’ theory really takes hold.

    We know the media will repeat and replay Abbott’s drivel a thousand times, I think he needs to get out there.

  4. http://www.smh.com.au/national/tax-threat-to-parents-who-dont-have-their-children-immunised-20111124-1nwwx.html

    [Tax threat to parents who don’t have their children immunised
    Mark Metherell
    November 25, 2011

    PARENTS failing to ensure their children undergo the full six-stage immunisation risk losing up to $2100 as part of an expanded scheme that replaces a small carrot with a big stick to increase vaccination rates.

    From next July, the government is axing the $258 ”maternity immunisation allowance” paid irrespective of income to families of fully immunised children aged up to five. Instead the government will require parents have their children fully immunised or forgo three payments of $726 available under the family tax benefit A end of year supplement.]

    More in the article. Good idea IMO.

  5. Mark Kenny on the fact that this will be the first year since 2004 that we haven’t had a change of leader in either of the two major parties.

    Interesting observation

    [
    Even this year, for much of the preceding couple of months, the killing season threatened to deliver again as Julia Gillard’s poll numbers went through the floor.

    Yet Ms Gillard lived to fight another day, her resilience under extreme duress impressing even her fiercest critics.

    This is no idle assertion. In one of his trade-mark moments of frankness, Tony Abbott admitted as much to Canberra journalists on Tuesday night when hosting Christmas drinks expressing surprise that the Government had not “cracked” under his relentless assault.

    It was telling because it went some way to vindicating concerns in his own partyroom that the Liberal leader had so concentrated on blasting the government out that he had forsaken longer term policy rigour.
    ]

    http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whod-a-thunk-it-political-year-with-no-spilled-blood/

  6. victoria,

    I am not sure about the policies. But I thought it strange they launched election campaign style anti-carbon price ads 2 years out from the election.

  7. Leroy,

    After watching friends watch on in fear as their three month old daughter fight off whooping cough, I fully support the move.

    They were told by medical staff that they had been close to iradicating the disease when mothers (mostly highly educated) refused to have their children vaccinated effectively re-opening the window to the deadly disease.

    I have also had a few oldies I know contract it and they struggled to overcome it also.

  8. I just sent email to Albo suggesting that HJenkins should perhaps publicly reiterate his reasons for stepping down as speaker. The coalition and the msm are doing their best to spin it as a knifing by the PM, and you know how successful they were in the KRudd affair

  13. Boerwar

    According to Reith, Abbott will continue to bad mouth Gillard and the govt all summer long, which will be the final nail in the coffin for Gillard.

  14. Leroy:

    There’s been a whooping cough outbreak where I live, which as seen several children need to be airlifted to the city for hospitalisation.

    If the kids had all had their vaccinations, including booster series, this would not have happened.

  15. [News Ltd & Talkback radio are they know that the chances of their patron saint getting into the Lodge before the next election are now virtually zero.]

    To reacting so badly because I’d add

    * it was Parliament’s last day before the long Christmas break ends in February, and a week is a long time in politics

    * the political media will be full of the ALP Conference and its decisions,

    * Durban Climate Change conference

    * CRICKET! Kiwis, Sri Lanka, India and the Big Bash League (31 x 20/20)

    * The Australian Open (Tennis)

    * The HoR’s next sitting days are 7 to 16 February; after which begins

    * Commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin (& attacks on other Top End cities and towns from Broome to Far NQ); first of 2012’s series of events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Pacific War’s first year.

    * March will be thick with the Return of the 6th & 7th Divisions AIF, the Battle of the Cables – cue ABC repeat of its 2007 mini-series Curtin (episodes prob shown on relevant days) – & Macarthur’s arrival on the same day the AIF came home (19th).

    IOW: If you’re an Oz political journalist, especially an Abbott-lover, – or Abbott & his Shadow Ministers themselves – you will have to fight for print and (more importantly) TV attention during news periods crowded with events most Australians prefer to watch; events which, from the ALP NatConf & Durban CCConf through most of 2012, will star Prime Minister Gillard in positive roles – many of them with visiting dignities, massed bands, military personnel in full dress uniforms and Vets/ their families.

    In politics, as on the stage & film, timing is everything. Yesterday, Harry’s was brilliant.

  17. Boerwar:

    Lib-aligned commentators are all talking about Abbott needing to develop policy, give ‘headland speeches’, try to project some substance.

    Is he capable of doing these things?

  18. Gillard is unprincipled, they say, when this is plainly a Liberal own goal. Abbott & co:

    1. Harried Harry over a long period.

    2. Hung Slipper out to dry.

    3. Preselected Slipper time after time.

    No grounds for criticism and no-one to blame but themselves.

  19. Toorak,

    Yes, it was JG who white-anted Slipper and put up Brough for pre-selection in Slipper seat….oh wait, that was Tone!

  21. The first independent speaker of the house of reps in Australia was Frederick Holder. Someone should let whiney pyney know….

    [Standing as an Independent, Holder was returned to parliament for Wakefield in 1903 and 1906. He was re-elected Speaker without contest after each election and kept aloof from party politics, though he once admitted to ‘an almost overwhelming desire to step out of the Chair and tear off the gag’.]

    This bit is incredible…

    He was heard to say as Speaker: ‘Dreadful! Dreadful!’ and fell insensible to the floor of the House. He died that afternoon from cerebral haemorrhage without recovering consciousness.

    http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/holder-sir-frederick-william-6706
    (as revealed by Graeme @L.P.)

  22. [Lib-aligned commentators are all talking about Abbott needing to develop policy, give ‘headland speeches’, try to project some substance.

    Is he capable of doing these things?]

    Confessions, the truly incredible thing is that, according to Hewson, policy is seen only as “Plan B”, one that “many in the party” hope he will get around to.

    “Plan A” has been his incredible success in scoring high at polls that don’t matter, and now matter less because of the extra numbers Slipper has granted them.

    Sheesh…

  25. I saw Wilkie on ABC this morning and he spoke very well. I think it would be good for many reasons for Labor to still follow through on the pokie machine reforms. It woudl remove any negative perception of motives on Slipper as Speaker. With that in place there would then be absolutley no threat to the government’s stability till next election.

  26. [latingle Laura Tingle
    re craig thomson. the afr’s mark skulley got the following quote about Strike Force Carnarvon: “The investigation is still on­going,” 1/2
    ]
    [latingle Laura Tingle
    “It is a complex investigation and is anticipated to be protracted. 2/3
    ]
    [latingle Laura Tingle
    “No charges have been laid and it is not envisaged charges will be laid against any person in the near future.”
    ]

  27. [latingle Laura Tingle
    “No charges have been laid and it is not envisaged charges will be laid against any person in the near future.” – from nsw police spokesman
    ]

  30. [Four Coalition MPs were ejected and one Liberal backbencher, apparently believing the Parliament had not covered itself in enough glory for one day, yelled: ”Sit down you horrible woman!”]

    G’day bludgers – so which coalition member won the prize for yelling out the comment quoted above above?

  32. Oh oh. Fitch has downgraded Portugal’s to junk bond status.

    Erstwhile rulers of Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Timor L’este and various other bits and pieces of humanity.

    Ah well, empire-wise, what goes up goes down.

  35. BB:

    Yes, I thought it was a strange column by Hewson. Abbott’s substance-free ‘just say no’ approach worked because the focus was on the tensions and competence of the government, not policy.

    Now the focus is shifting to policy, so ‘just say no’ looks ridiculous.

  36. It looks like it will be April at least before the Federal Noalition rabble get any more free kicks in Queensland. They have a Brisbane City Council election due in March around the same time as a state election is due. People have to realise that the Labor Party in Queensland always look bad until an election is called and the lack of policy from the opposition is revealed in all its naked glory. That is the problem the Queensland opposition face an atrocious past of corruption and skulduggery while promising a future ranging between nothing and more of what they served up in the past.

  37. As mentioned other day, JMacklin outlined that family benefit recepients would see extra benefits go to children who turn 16 years old. This will start in Jan 2012. I reckon that is going to give the govt some kudos

  40. A well reasoned critique from Richard Ackland, as is to be expected from this respected commentator on media ethics:

    http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/trolls-of-tv-and-radio-would-not-last-a-day-under-print-rules-20111124-1nwy5.html

    He skewers the usual suspects – Hadley, Jones et al, and the hideous Kyle Sandilands, who should simply be blown up.

    Luckily, the ultimate sanction, indeed the only language these clowns do understand, has been meted out to the unrepentant Kyle – advertisers run for cover and remove their profitable business from his radio station. Sandilands days are now numbered in broadcasting if both the dollars and the ratings continue to drop.

    Couldn’t happen to a nicer arsehole …..

  45. Leroy @ 1253
    I heard that story on the radio.

    As far as I am concerned, it does not go far enough.

    Parents who fail to have their kids vaccinated should be charged with child abuse.

    And confessions @ 1263 provides the evidence.

  46. my say

    I sent an email to Albanese suggesting harry make a public statement. I did not want to write directly to Harry for some reason

  48. victoria

    Well, there you go. Perhaps we should start noting the blatant (ie provable) lies in a Hockey dossier, contrasting them with the sins of omission and stupidity by the master of hockeynomics.

  49. g, v

    Following an invitation from the Speaker, Mr Schulz withdrew a comment, then apparently came to the conclusion that he had withdrawn for nothing on the grounds that ‘woman’ was not a degrading gender-based term.

    The tried raising this with the Speaker who told him that (a) since Mr Schulz had withdrawn, he the speaker had reached the view that he, Mr Schulz, had had something to withdraw and (b), that in the Speaker’s view, ‘woman’ was not a gender-based term of abuse.

    Mr Schulz ended up looking substantially exactly what he is: a graceless fool.

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