Coalition fails in attempt to oust Slipper

A motion to remove Mr Slipper  - moved by Tony Abbott - was defeated by 70 votes to 69 with the government supported by Independent MPs Craig Thomson, Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Greens MP Adam Bandt

Cross-benchers Andrew Wilkie and Tony Crook voted with the Coalition.

Moving the ultimately unsuccessful motion, Opposition leader Tony Abbott said it was ''crystal clear'' Mr Slipper was no longer a fit and proper person to uphold the dignity of the Parliament.

But Prime Minister Julia Gillard hit back, saying Mr Abbott did not need a motion to highlight misogyny and sexism, he needed a mirror - and the motion should be rejected.

Under section 35 of the Constitution, the Speaker can be removed by a vote in the House of Representatives.

Mr Abbott's move follows the release of a series of crude text messages about women allegedly sent by Mr Slipper to his former staffer James Ashby tendered as evidence in the Federal Court.

In a rare move, the government agreed to "take the motion", which was seconded by Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop. Mr Abbott said that Mr Slipper was "disqualified" from high office because of the "undenied, uncontradicted facts that have emerged" in the course of the sexual harassment case against him.  "This speaker had failed the character test," he said, adding that the "Prime Minister has failed the judgement test" by appointing him.

Mr Abbott said Ms Gillard should be ashamed of herself and her judgment for appointing Mr Slipper as Speaker.

‘'Should she rise in this place now to try and defend the Speaker, to try and say that she retains confidence in this Speaker, she will shame this parliament again,’’ he said.

‘‘And every day the prime minister stands in this parliament to defend this Speaker will be another day of shame for this parliament, another day of shame for a government which should already have died of shame.’’

Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott should apologise to Parliament for the vile and sexist conduct of members of his own political party rather than using today's Slipper motion as a political battering ram.  

She said she was personally offended when, as health minister, he said abortion was the ‘‘easy way out’’ and when he raised her unmarried status and when he stood beside the ‘‘Ditch the Witch’’ placards at anti-carbon tax rallies.

"I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man [Mr Abbott], not now, not ever," she told the House.  "The Leader of the Opposition says that people who hold sexist views are not appropriate for high office. Well I hope the Leader of the Opposition has got a piece of paper and he is writing out his resignation."

The Prime Minister, who had earlier condemned the content of the Slipper text messages, said the appropriate thing was to wait for the Slipper court case to reach its conclusion.

"People will then have an opportunity to make up their mind [about Mr Slipper] with the fullest information available to them," she said

Ms Gillard asked Mr Abbott whether he had taken responsibility over the ‘‘died of shame’’ comments Sydney shock jock Alan Jones made about her father.

‘‘Has he taken any responsibility of the conduct of his political party?’’ she asked.‘‘Who apparently when the most vile things were being said about my family raised no voice of objection.

‘‘No one walked out of the room, no one walked up to Mr Jones and said that was not acceptable.

‘‘Instead of course, it was all viewed as good fun.''

‘‘The government is not dying of shame. My father did not die of shame,’’ Ms Gillard said. '‘What the leader of the opposition should be ashamed of is of his performance in this parliament and the sexism which he brings with it.’’

It was only until the comments were run in the newspaper that Mr Abbott started ‘‘ducking for cover’’.

‘‘Big on lectures of issues of responsibility, very light on accepting responsibility himself for the vile conduct of members of his political party.’’

She said that she had previously been offended by Mr Abbott's comments on abortion and "housewives of Australia" doing the ironing, as well as his catcalls at her during parliament.

She accused Mr Abbott of peddling a standard of behaviour for Mr Slipper that neither he nor members of his party met.  ''His double standards should not rule this Parliament,'' she said.

Ms Gillard reminded Mr Abbott the Nationals had preselected Mr Slipper as a candidate for the 1984 and 1987 elections and the Liberal Party had done so at the 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 elections.

‘‘And across many of those preselections Mr Slipper enjoyed the personal support of the leader of the opposition,’’ she said, quoting Mr Abbott referring to Mr Slipper as a friend and adding that Mr Abbott had attended Mr Slipper’s wedding.

Mr Slipper stood aside in April from the Speaker's chair pending an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by Mr Ashby. But the independent MP still conducts formal business attached to the high-profile role while drawing a salary of almost $1000 a day.

As Mr Abbott spoke, Leader of the House Anthony Albanese and his Coalition counterpart, Christopher Pyne, talked to the independents.  In seconding the motion, Ms Bishop said that she spoke with a "heavy heart" on the issue.  She told the Parliament that the Speaker had a responsibility to the parliament and the Australian people.  "It is among the greatest honours in our parliamentary system," she said.  Ms Bishop said that while she did not presume to speak on behalf of all female MPs, she would "personally struggle" to show appropriate respect for Mr Slipper as Speaker.  "How(are) the women in this house are expected to show respect for the Speaker when we are now aware of the views that he holds of women is beyond comprehension," she said.

‘‘While I do not presume to speak for all the female colleagues on either side of the chamber, I would personally struggle to show appropriate respect.’’

Ms Bishop said Mr Slipper was the prime minister’s choice of Speaker.

She said Ms Gillard struggled to admit mistakes but this issue went beyond the prime minister’s pride.Mr Slipper would be an embarrassment to the parliament if he were allowed to remain, Ms Bishop said.

If members of the parliament lost respect for the Speaker, the public would too, she said.

Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, who is a QC, said that the parliament should not act as a kangaroo court on the Slipper matter, arguing the Coalition had rushed to judgement on thin evidence. But Manager of Opposition Business Christopher Pyne said that the Coalition did not seek to "prejudge" the federal court case currently underway. "The revelations that have arisen out of the court case are so heinous, so egregious, that it is the opposition's contention that the Speaker can never resume the chair in this place in any way that would lend confidence to the opposition."

In a statement earlier today, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie said ''the time has well and truly come for the Parliament to fix this problem''.

''Either Peter Slipper needs to have the good sense to resign the speakership and sit on the crossbench until all criminal and civil allegations against him have been dealt with, or the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader need to put aside their political differences and have the parliament elect a new Speaker,'' he said.

Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella - who Mr Slipper referred to in a text message as ''an ignorant botch'' - said she did not want an apology from the Speaker but a ''graceful exit''.

Ms Mirabella also called on Ms Gillard to ''come out of hiding'' and condemn Mr Slipper's comments.

''She needs to show she's not just a convenient feminist but a real feminist,'' she said.

Independent MP Tony Windsor said last night he planned to meet with Mr Slipper this week to determine if it is appropriate for him to return as Speaker.

Less than a week after Mr Windsor said he would not stand in Mr Slipper's way if he was to return to the Speaker's chair, on the condition was cleared of sexual harassment and CabCharge rorting allegations, the federal member for New England revealed he was reconsidering his position on the matter.

Mr Windsor told ABC's Lateline program last night that he had not seen the documents containing the text messages but had read reports about them.

He said if the text messages were true, ''I think it might raise other issues in terms of [Mr Slipper's] capacity to maintain himself in that position".

Mr Windsor said last week that if sexual harassment allegations against Mr Slipper were not found to be credible then he saw no reason he couldn't return as Speaker.

Senator Barnaby Joyce said Ms Gillard had to face up to the responsibility of appointing Mr Slipper as Speaker.

''It was the prime minister herself who, of her own volition, decided to go out and grab the wheelie bin and put it back in the kitchen,'' he said.

In a Coalition party meeting today, outgoing Queensland Senator Sue Boyce suggested that Coalition colleagues should not be travelling overseas with Mr Slipper on delegations.  

Senator Boyce said that she was appalled at the prospect of Mr Slipper leading a delegation of five MPs to Argentina and Canada next week, after the publication of "highly sexist" text messages he sent to Mr Ashby.  Mr Abbott leant his support to the idea.  "There are such things as ethical standards and this individual has utterly and completely transgressed these standards. His return to the chair is beyond the pale," the Opposition Leader told the party room meeting.   

With AAP