Extract from ABC News
Posted
The Opposition has raised fresh concerns about the
performance of House of Representatives Speaker Bronwyn Bishop, after
she ejected her 400th MP from the chamber.
Ms Bishop ejected five MPs during a rowdy final Question Time before Parliament's winter recess.One of the ejected MPs, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, was suspended for three sitting days after he failed to leave the chamber when directed.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese protested when Wakefield MP Nick Champion was thrown out soon after.
"The Member for Wakefield is number 400 of people who've been thrown out, he's the Brian Lara of this Parliament," he said, referring to the West Indian cricketer's record Test score.
Labor said Ms Bishop had ejected 393 Labor MPs during her time in the Speaker's chair, but the Liberal MP said she had been justified.
"This Parliament only has 150 members but you have a lot of recalcitrant offenders," she said.
Labor has previously accused Ms Bishop of bias, compared her to a Harry Potter villain, referred her to Parliament's privileges committee and moved a no-confidence motion in her.
Ms Bishop has ejected a record number of MPs in her relatively short time as Speaker.
Former speaker Harry Jenkins, a Labor MP, previously held the record after ejecting 252 MPs.
Education Minister Christopher Pyne was formerly the most-disciplined MP, but has since been surpassed by Mr Champion.
Labor said he had been ejected more than 50 times, the first MP to reach a half-century.
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