Julia Gillard’s hold on power slips after speaker steps down

House of Representatives speaker Peter Slipper announced that he will be temporarily replaced by his deputy Anna Burke, a Labour Party government MP, while police investigate allegations he misused taxi payment vouchers.

The move effectively costs Ms Gillard’s government its single-seat majority.

However, while the centre-left government will face greater difficulty in passing contentious legislation through the House of Representatives, the conservative opposition is still short of the 76 votes it needs in the 150-seat chamber to bring down the government.

Ms Gillard, who has struggled to maintain her minority government since elections in 2010, welcomed the move.

“It is appropriate that Mr Slipper has stood aside as Speaker whilst alleged criminal conduct is investigated,” she said in a statement.

An openly gay male former staff member James Ashby, 33, made the fraud allegations and he is also suing Mr Slipper in the Federal Court claiming sexual harassment. Mr Slipper denies all the allegations.

Mr Slipper, 62, who is married with two adult children from a previous relationship, defected from the opposition in November last year to take the speaker’s job in a move that effectively gave Ms Gillard’s minority government an additional vote – 76 in the chamber.

An independent MP has since withdrawn his support for Labour, leaving her with command of exactly half the chamber.

Since a speaker can only vote to break a draw, Ms Burke will effectively be barred from most votes.

The rules state that Mr Slipper cannot vote at all while he stands aside.

But the absence of Mr Slipper’s vote creates the possibility of a 74-vote tie, in which the speaker’s casting vote would come into play for the government. The sexual harassment case is a civil matter, while the taxi voucher allegations are criminal. Police have confirmed they are evaluating the criminal allegation.

“Any allegation of criminal behaviour is grave and should be dealt with in a manner that shows appropriate regard to the integrity of our democratic institutions and to precedent,” Mr Slipper said in a statement after returning from the United States yesterday.

“As such, I believe it is appropriate for me to stand aside as speaker while this criminal allegation is resolved.”

“The allegation is incorrect, and once it is clear they are untrue, I shall return to the speakership,” he added.

Analysts said the row, however embarrassing, would not bring down Ms Gillard’s government just yet as independents backing her were unlikely to withdraw support and force a new election in which they could lose their seats.

“It is the latest in a litany of disasters that they have to deal with,” said Nick Economou of Melbourne’s Monash University.