Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is a position which is elected on by members of the House. The position carries a level of prestige, but also responsibility. It is the job of the Speaker to progress bills through the house, deal with points of order, and chair Questions with and without notice. The position is currently vacant.

Role
The position of Speaker is voted upon by all members, and is usually bi-partisan. The person elected is to be impartial, however does have a vote and a say in debates. The speaker elects a deputy and second deputy to assist them in their role, as well as appointing a panel.

The speaker will chair Question Time and ensure that standing orders and civility is maintained throughout. The speaker has various powers to use to ensure civility. The common one used is section 94a of the standing orders, which allows them to eject a member from the House. This was most notoriously used by Speaker tbyrn21 against the Prime Minister, BloodyChrome, after repeated attempts for an answer to a question failed.

If an ejection is not harsh enough a penalty, the speaker can also name a member, which leads to a vote on whether to follow through with it. This power is used less frequently, but is often seen when a member refuses to leave the chambers under 94a.