Speaker Smith should resign, says Mackenzie

BESIEGED parliamentary speaker Ken Smith should resign his post in Victoria’s Legislative Assembly, according to former upper house president Rod Mackenzie.
“The whole thing is to do the right thing, he should tender his resignation,” Mr Mackenzie, of Grovedale told the Independent.
“For any presiding officer in a position where there are doubts they have support, the honourable thing to do would be to get him to ask the leader of the government in the house for a vote of confidence in the speaker.
“The speaker himself would ask him to do that and if the majority asked him to stay then he’d stay — and if not, resign.
“The other thing is he could simply resign. That’s the honourable thing to do. It’s fairly clear he hasn’t got the support of the house and is an untenable position.”
Mr Mackenzie, a former minister with the Cain government, said it was disappointing that Mr Smith adjourned the Parliament for 10 days “apparently in the vain hope that confidence in him would somehow return”.
“A successful parliament relies so much on the attributes of its speaker,” he said.
“Their impartiality is of the utmost importance as is their fairness and their full understanding in their role as a presiding officer in the Westminster style of parliament.”
Mr Mackenzie said the “aggressive manner” of the Labor opposition did “nothing to enhance the public’s view of correct parliamentary behaviour which is already not held in very high regard”.