By DANNY BUTTLER
RUSSELL Broadbent has the backing of Tony Abbott in his quest to become the next Speaker of the Federal Parliament.
The Member for McMillan has officially announced his candidacy for the plum job, which became vacant after Bronwyn Bishop stood down in the wake of the travel expenses scandal.
A large field of potential Speaker candidates has emerged since Mrs Bishop’s resignation, with Mr Broadbent considered a front runner for the position.
Bookmakers have already installed him as second favourite behind fellow Victorian MP Tony Smith.
The 64-year-old Pakenham resident said he was the right man for the job and had the backing of the most powerful man in the country.
“I would not be standing if I didn’t know that the Prime Minister was happy with my candidacy,“ he said.
“You would not stand if you were advised that the PM didn’t accept.“
Mr Broadbent has won a reputation for non-partisan politics, crossing the floor on several occasions to vote against his own party.
He said being known as a fair operator in the House should stand him in good stead when the party room votes on Monday morning.
“I’d like to think that I’d be fair, non-confrontation and reasonable,“ he said.
“I have a great regard for my colleagues – they know that.“
Mrs Bishop’s period in the chair was racked by controversy, with opponents claiming she was one of the most biased Speakers ever to preside over Parliament.
In her 20 months as Speaker, Mrs Bishop ejected 400 MPs from the House of Representatives – 393 were from the Labor benches.
Asked if he would take a more even-handed approach, Mr Broadbent said he would simply follow the rules of the House. “It’s not a matter of being partisan, it’s a matter of following the standing orders which protect the rights of the Members of Parliament,“ he said.
“Colleagues have said to me ’You’re a natural – you’ll be tough on both sides’.“
The Speaker’s role is one of the most prestigious in the Parliament and carries it with a hefty pay packet of $341,477, compared to a backbencher’s salary of $195,130.
Mrs Bishop stood down last Sunday after a series of revelations on her extravagant travel spending, including a $5000 chopper flight from Melbourne to Geelong to attend a Liberal Party fund-raiser.
