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.
DPS Auspic
The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
DPS Auspic
Description
A man in a suit sits in a large green chair in front of a carved wooden screen. Two people in black robes sit at a table below him. There are books, boxes and sand timers on the table.
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.