Bronwyn Bishop is a person of many parts, none of which qualify her to be Australia’s Speaker, writes senior correspondent Barry Everingham.

ONE OF THE GREAT TRADITIONS inherited by the Australian House of Representatives from Britain’s House of Commons has been the rule of the impartiality of the Speaker. Indeed, in the Commons the Speaker remains in situ even after elections, where he or she may not remain a member of the ruling party.

In the main, our Speakers have been good, a few bad, but none, with only two who broke the rule: both ALP Members – Leo McLeay in the Whitlam years and way back to a character called Sol Rosvear, who began as Speaker under Curtin.

Today, things are different.

The current Speaker is Bronwyn Bishop — an absolutedisgrace whose behaviour in the Chair has brought the Parliament into disrepute.

In preparing this story, I interviewed diplomats from three Commonwealth countries whose Parliaments work on the Westminster system — Canada, New Zealand and, of course, the UK.

I asked if the behaviour of Bishop would be tolerated in their Parliaments and the answer was a resounding “No!”

One of them told me of his experience accompanying a visiting MP from his country to Question Time in Canberra .

The MP was just incredulous and said had he been told of her behaviour he wouldn’t have believed it — but seeing her in full flight really shocked him.

Bishop, of course, is a disciple of Tony Abbott’s — she admires his thuggery and take no prisoners attitude.

Bronwyn Bishop today told Parliament that,