By NOEL MURPHY
BESIEGED Victorian parliamentary speaker Ken Smith should resign his post in Victoria’s Legislative Assembly, according to a Grovedale resident who served as the president of the upper house
“The whole thing is to do the right thing, he should tender his resignation,” Rod Mackenzie said.
“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 in an untenable position.”
Mr Mackenzie, a former minister in the Cain government, said it was disappointing Mr Smith adjourned parliament for 10 days “apparently in the vain hope confidence in him would somehow return”.
“A successful parliament relies so much on the attributes of its speaker.
“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. These factors seem lacking in the current speaker.”
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”.
