The Federal Government has accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of trying to "crabwalk" away from the parliamentary reform deal brokered with the independents just two weeks ago.

Both major parties are now at a stand-off over who should be speaker of the new parliament in the wake of crossbench MP Rob Oakeshott's decision to abandon an earlier move to go for the role.

Mr Abbott will reveal later today whether he will support Mr Oakeshott's new request for the speaker to be drawn from Liberal ranks.

Meanwhile, the Government refuses to say whether it still backs its own MP, Harry Jenkins, to continue in the role.

Mr Oakeshott had put his hand up for the position, but after meeting with Mr Abbott yesterday walked away from his bid and accused Mr Abbott of reneging on the spirit of the agreement.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/21/3017394.htm?section=justin

The Federal Government has released legal advice that shows the proposed changes to the Speaker's role are valid under the constitution.

The Government asked the Solicitor-General, Stephen Gageler SC, to provide advice about the parliamentary reform agreement signed by the Government, Opposition and Independent MPs.

The proposal allows for the Speaker to be paired with an MP from the opposing side.

The Opposition argues that is not allowed under the constitution.

In advice prepared for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, Senator George Brandis, a senior counsel, wrote: "In my opinion, pairing arrangements cannot be extended to the speaker."

But Mr Gageler disagrees.

Mr Gageler says the reform is constitutional as long as the pairing arrangement is voluntary and it ensures the Speaker can only vote if the Parliament is deadlocked.

Pairing occurs when members with opposing views agree not to vote, effectively cancelling each other out.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Mr Abbott met to discuss the advice this afternoon.

Mr Abbott originally agreed to the reforms but began to back away from the new provision on pairing after independent MP Rob Oakeshott put his hand up for the role.

The Federal Opposition remains unconvinced that the proposed changes to the Speaker's role are valid under the constitution, despite legal advice to the contrary.

In earlier advice prepared for Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, Senator George Brandis, a senior counsel, wrote: "In my opinion, pairing arrangements cannot be extended to the Speaker."

But Solicitor-General, Stephen Gageler SC, has advised the Government that there is no constitutional impediment to giving the Speaker "pairing" rights, as long as the arrangement is voluntary and would only allow the Speaker a vote if the Parliament is deadlocked.

A pair would ensure the party which provides the Speaker is not disadvantaged.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/23/3019407.htm

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Gus: crooked crabs... unable to walk in a straight line... make agreements that don't stick. Worthless double dealers... don't play by the rules they made, because they lost... tantrumic brats... can't thrust 'em Liberals (Aussie conservatives)...

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has attacked Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for "breaking his word" as the two failed to break the impasse over changes to the speaker's role.

Labor and the Coalition are bickering over whether the proposed changes to the position of speaker - agreed to earlier this month in a deal with the independents - are in breach of the constitution.

Fronting the media this afternoon, Ms Gillard said she had a phone conversation with Mr Abbott during which they spoke about changes to the speaker role.

She said Mr Abbott would not agree to the new rules for the speaker's position, which centre around arrangements for voting.

And Ms Gillard accused Mr Abbott of breaking his word.

"I view this to be an extraordinary set of events," she said.

"We gave our word. Our intention has always been to honour our word. I would have thought it was a reasonable expectation that the Leader of the Opposition would also honour his word.

"He has now said to me, and effectively to the Australian people, that his word is worth absolutely nothing."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/23/3020019.htm

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We did not expect much more from Tony the rat and his bunch of has-beens...

Thank the independents he did not get in... Tony is not even as trustworthy as a two bob watch that has been run over by a bus...

...

Mr Windsor says that is a blatant excuse for the Opposition Leader going back on his word and described Mr Abbott's action as a breach of trust.

"A lot of what we were trying to do as independents during that period after the election was assess whether anybody really wanted to be in government in a hung Parliament, and whether they could be trusted to be there for the period of the Parliament," he said.

"I think Tony Abbott has just reinforced our decision that he couldn't be trusted.

-------------------

We knew that...

Queensland Liberal MP Alex Somlyay, who was dumped as the Opposition's whip in the recent reshuffle, told ABC Radio Current Affairs that he had been approached for the deputy speaker's job and was considering his position.

Earlier he told ABC NewsRadio that he would speak publicly on the reported job offer later today.

The major parties are locked in a brawl over who should fill the role after the Coalition backed out of a deal to have to have the speaker paired with an opposite member during divisions.

Walking away from the deal yesterday, Mr Abbott argued that it was unconstitutional.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and independents Bob Katter and Tony Windsor have attacked Mr Abbott for going back on his word.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3021064.htm

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I'm sure there are Liberals in the ranks who would be happy to "switch' sides and contribute positively rather than be in the stupid camp with Abbott... But their career would be on thin ice, I guess. But then if Abbott continues with the wreckers-ball, his side will loose big at the next election. The public has discovered that Tony is as trustworthy as crocodile infested waters... Tony's budgies should be skinned and made handbags out of...

Independent Federal MP Bob Katter says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will be harshly judged over his failure to honour a deal to allow pairing of the speaker in Parliament.

The deal, made by the two major parties and the independents after the federal election, would have made sure the speaker's side of politics was not disadvantaged by donating a member to sit in the speaker's chair.

Yesterday Mr Abbott confirmed that he was walking away from the agreement, saying the deal was unconstitutional.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3020914.htm

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The deal is constitutional. Abbott is now to be known as the "dishonorable member for Warringah". Hey Bob, why don't you switch to Labor and have a say in how the country is run rather than being dumped in the wreckers team?

Mr Somlyay confirms that he has had discussions with the Government about accepting the deputy Speaker's job and volunteering his vote to be paired with that of Ms Gillard's candidate for Speaker, Harry Jenkins.

Mr Somlyay is now considering his position, which is a formal way of saying "being screamed at by Tony Abbott".

This is very much the way of this contrary Parliament.

The meek are raised to greatness, and the mighty are forced to listen

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3021384.htm?site=thedrum

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The federal government has confirmed Harry Jenkins will be renominated for the role of Speaker even though it failed to secure a private deal with a senior Liberal MP to act as his deputy.

In a statement released this afternoon, Liberal Alex Somlyay said he had been approached by Labor to stand as its nominee for Deputy Speaker and support the government in no-confidence motions and supply.

However, Mr Somlyay has rejected the deal that would have seen him paired with the Speaker for votes in the lower house.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/deal-on-speaker-fails-20100924-15q76.html

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Gus: may all the Liberal members of parliament fall ill to dengue fever and chronic fatigue...

The Liberal MP, Alex Somlyay, has agreed to support the Labor Government on crucial supply and no-confidence motions – provided he is elected deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr Somlyay’s position, confirmed to the Herald this afternoon, contradicts an earlier statement issued by Tony Abbott’s office claiming that Mr Somlyay had rejected Labor’s offer to be deputy speaker.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/liberal-mp-somlyay-open-to-deputy-speaker-role-20100924-15q76.html

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3021583.htm

Mr Entsch says Mr Albanese's approach likely ruined the deal.

"That impacted on his credibility with his colleagues and friends," he said.

Mr Albanese on Saturday blamed Mr Abbott for the uncertainty.

"We've seen the return of the real Tony Abbott," he said in a statement.

"The politician that's prepared to renege on agreements, say anything, no matter how false or malicious, and even intimidate members of his own party who disagree with him."

This is Mr Somlyay's last term in Parliament. He was dumped as the Opposition's whip in the recent reshuffle and was replaced by fellow LNP figure Mr Entsch.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/25/3021847.htm

From Stephen Bartos - Unleashed

...

Although an independent member of the Tasmanian Parliament, Ruth Forrest, had ventured the opinion in a panel discussion that minority governments found it more difficult to deal with hard policy issues, most of her panellists including the head of the Tasmanian Premier's department thought minority government could deal with policy and delivery as well as a majority. The bigger problem according to David Bartlett, who was on that panel, was that the media and commentariat did not allow debate of policy, reducing complex and nuanced issues to black and white conflicts. 

Although the spectre of Craig Thomson had been hovering around the corridors, this conference of mainly senior public servants has been too polite to notice it. Minority government it seems is just not that hard. Good policy and good delivery can continue regardless of the fooling about at the political level. Andrew Murray, respected former senator and once a member of a minority himself, noted that people should just get used to it. It can work surprisingly well. 

Whether or not we continue to have a minority Federal Government, there will be minority governments in other states and territories. Even if there is a majority after the next federal election, the government is unlikely to have a majority in both houses.

It suits these troubling times to be alarmist and find the worst in whatever happens in a government. God knows there are always plenty of problems to find, whatever the government. It seems though that the simple factor of being in a minority is not one of them. 

Stephen Bartos is a director with Asia-Pacific consulting firm Sapere Research Group. He is an expert in governance and risk.