How long does the speaker of the house stay in the job?

Thanks for the great question!

There is no specific rule about how long the Speaker of the House of Represenatatives can keep their job but there are some rules about who can be Speaker and how they are chosen. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the members of the House of Representatives at the start of a new Parliament. Section 35 of the Australian Constitution states the Speaker must be a member of the House of Representatives.

This means the Speaker can lose the position if they cease to be a member of the House of Representatives or if they resign from the position. The Speaker can also lose their position if the members of the House of Representatives decide to vote them out. The longest-serving Speaker was John McLeay who served as Speaker for 10 years from 1956–1966.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Speaker's chair. There is a carving of leaves in the wood behind him.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Penny Bradfield/DPS Auspic

The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Speaker's chair. There is a carving of leaves in the wood behind him.

Penny Bradfield/DPS Auspic

Description

A man in a suit sits in a large green chair in front of a carved wooden screen. Three people in black robes and wearing face masks sit at a table below him. On the other side of a clear scressn there are books and boxes. A man in a suit stands at the table, resting his hand on one of the boxes.

Permission should be sought from DPS AUSPIC for third-party or commercial uses of this image. To contact DPS AUSPIC email: auspic@aph.gov.au or phone: 02 6277 3342.