Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Kicking and screaming: Speaker elected

Both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have gone on the offensive on the first day of the new parliament, as Harry Jenkins is unanimously elected as Speaker.

jenkins_dragged_speaker_100928_B_aap_519142161

Mr Jenkins pretended to be dragged to the Speakers' chair, following tradition, as historically the Speaker could be killed by MPs for not granting their requests.

While Mr Jenkins has been elected as Speaker, uncertainty remains over deputy speaker ahead of a nomination and election process later this afternoon.

PM Julia Gillard has appealed to the Opposition Leader to honour the spirit of the reform agreement, but Tony Abbott has defended his decision to walk away from a deal, signed early this month on the role of the Speaker, claiming it is not constitutionally valid.

Ms Gillard and Mr Abbott have wasted little time in firing off their first salvos in the new parliament.

Both have gone on the attack following the official opening of the 43rd parliament in Canberra, casting serious doubt over any hope of a more unified lower house.

Both leaders have quickly begun attacking each other on a series of parliamentary reforms, which have been the subject of debate over the past weeks.


1 min read

Published

Updated

By staff, agencies

Source: SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world