Ms Bishop was asked in Parliament whether it was appropriate to use her position of authority to comment on issues in the media that could come before the Chair in the future.
“Reps practice at page 146 states ‘members are entitled to expect that even though politically affiliated the Speaker will carry out his or her duties impartially,’” Ms Burke said, who was Speaker from 2012 to 2013.
Ms Burke added that there was an expection for the Speaker "not go out and take a political stance on the issues of the day that will then appear before the House."
"How can you then be judging those issues impartially?"
This was a reference to Bronwyn Bishop’s appearance on the ABC’s QandA program last night in which she took time to dress down the Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs.
“Are you a statutory officer carrying out an obligation with the protection of that office or do you wish to be a political participant,” the Speaker said on the program.
The Human Rights Commissioner has been under fire from government MPs after the release of a detailed report revealing the mistreatment of asylum seeker children in detention. The timing of the release of that report was labeled political and the government had to deny it asked the Commissioner to resign.
Ms Bishop defended her decision to discuss the matter on television claiming Speakers are "politically affiliated" but have a duty to "remain impartial in the Chair."
The comment met with a laughter from the Opposition benches.
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