Four frontbench Liberal MPs have told Sky News they believe Bronwyn Bishop should resign from her position as speaker.
Sky News understands Mrs Bishop has been calling parliamentary colleagues to examine whether they still support her over expenses claims surrounding the chartering of a luxury helicopter to a fundraiser last year and travel to the weddings of two colleagues in 2006 and 2007.
Liberal ministers are also testing opinion among backbench MPs to see whether they think the speaker should remain in the role.Education Minister Christopher Pyne defended Mrs Bishop, while other senior Liberals have so far declined to say publicly whether they have confidence her.
Mr Pyne told Sky News Mrs Bishop was doing a ‘superb’ job as speaker and said he would not ‘jump on the bandwagon’ of people calling for her removal.Speaking from New York, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Labor would use the issue to ‘destabilise’ the first parliamentary question time after the winter break on August 10.
‘And I’m sure Speaker Bishop will take that into account as she considers her position,’ she said.’But I believe it’s important the Department of Finance be able to carry out an investigation.’Social Services Minister Scott Morrison declined to say whether he had confidence in the Speaker when asked by reporters on Wednesday.
‘There is a Department of Finance process that’s underway,’ he said on the Gold Coast.’If I have anything to pass on to the Speaker I will do it privately and not offer public lectures on these things.’The Finance Department is investigating Mrs Bishop’s expenses claim relating to the chartering of a luxury helicopter to a fundraiser in Victoria in November last year.
The Speaker signed a document saying it was ‘official business’, but Labor says she should be sacked for misusing taxpayer money. Mrs Bishop is also facing questions over her use of taxpayer-funded expenses to attend the weddings of Liberal colleagues in 2006 and 2007.
The Speaker’s office says that on both occasions she had parliamentary business in areas near the weddings.Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid back the money he claimed to attend the wedding of former Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella.
Mr Abbott has expressed his disapproval over the helicopter charter, saying Mrs Bishop was ‘on probation’ over her expenses.Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the ‘soap opera’ over Mrs Bishop has to end.’
Put simply Mr Abbott has to act – Bronwyn Bishop has to go,’ he told reporters in Melbourne.He said respected veteran Queensland Nationals MP Bruce Scott should be appointed in her place.’I think it’s now time perhaps for the coalition to look at putting in a more reasonable face, someone who’d respect the independence of the Speaker’s position, so we can restore the standard of parliamentary democracy in this country,’ Mr Shorten said.Labor is expected to move a motion of no confidence in the speaker if no action is taken before parliament resumes, as will two lower house MPs, Clive Palmer and Andrew Wilkie.
A spokeswoman for the Finance Department told AAP the department did not comment on its dealings with individual parliamentarians.
source:skynews.com.au
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