Josh Teague elected Speaker of SA Parliament and John Dawkins takes over as Legislative Council President amid bitter Liberal split
Hours after Josh Teague became Speaker of Parliament, John Dawkins was elected President of the Upper House after two tied votes. But Liberals are furious that Mr Dawkins defied them to stand and have voted unanimously to expel him from the party.
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Liberals have unanimously voted to kick veteran MP John Dawkins out of the party, after he broke with them to win the job of Upper House President.
Sources say a partyroom meeting on Tuesday evening resolved to commence the expulsion process – just hours after Mr Dawkins defeated endorsed Liberal candidate Jing Lee for the lucrative position.
The party will now write to Mr Dawkins, who has been a Liberal MP for 23 years, giving him an opportunity to make his case.
Mr Dawkins’ decision sparked fury within the Liberals and exposed bitter divisions.
Treasurer Rob Lucas had earlier said standing against the party’s candidate would make Mr Dawkins’ position in the party “untenable” (full report below).
On a day of turmoil in State Parliament, first-term Adelaide Hills MP Josh Teague was elected to the plum role of Speaker of the House of Assembly, as the Liberals staved off an independent challenger.
Mr Teague, a moderate-backed Liberal, won the contest to replace new minister Vincent Tarzia as Speaker, defeating independent MP Frances Bedford by three votes in a secret ballot.
In rare scenes, Ms Bedford challenged Premier Steven Marshall’s nomination and forced a vote. Her nomination was put forward by fellow independent MP Geoff Brock and supported by Labor.
The first ballot resulted in a shock tie, with one invalid vote.
Ms Bedford raised concerns that some MPs were showing each other their ballot papers, which could be “contempt” of the process.
On the second vote, Mr Teague won 25-22.
Mr Teague told Parliament his legal background made him a good selection for the role.
The position brings a $150,000 annual pay bump as well as chauffeured vehicle, and the Speaker controls debates in the Parliament.
Mr Teague drew the wrath of the State Opposition within minutes of being elected into his new position when he took aim at Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas over a recent directive to his team to fully comply with an ICAC investigation into travel allowances.
“In the course of the investigation, the Leader of the Opposition directed members of the Labor Party in respect of the investigation,” he told Parliament.
“That direction is accompanied by his threat that he would issue a sanction from that party upon any member that would not comply with his direction and recommended that such a member ought to be expelled.
“A direction to any member the subject of an ICAC investigation is problematic and usually unlawful.”
This prompted senior Labor MP Tom Koutsantonis to angrily interject – and Mr Teague then ordered Mr Koutsantonis to leave the chamber for 20 minutes.
Mr Malinauskas said it was astonishing that Mr Teague had criticised his conduct as leader, claiming it called into doubt his pledge to be a fair Speaker.
“Josh Teague has not been elected to be a judge, or a jury or an investigator. He has used the Speakership to launch a hyper-partisan attack seeking to criticise me for instructing my MPs to comply with the ICAC Act. It is truly extraordinary,” he said.
Labor called for a formal debate into sacking Mr Teague on his first day – but lost the vote by a 25-19 margin.
DAWKINS PREVAILS IN UPPER HOUSE VOTE
Liberal MLC John Dawkins was elected President of the Upper House – but it looks likely to cost him his place in the party he has represented for more than two decades.
Mr Dawkins announced on Tuesday morning he would go head-to-head with the Liberals’ endorsed candidate Jing Lee for the Legislative Council’s top job.
After two tied votes on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Dawkins’ name was drawn from a box and he was declared the winner.
It was a major upset for the State Government after the Liberals last week endorsed Ms Lee, a moderate, as their candidate for President of the Legislative Council.
The party has commenced expulsion proceedings but will give Mr Dawkins the chance to make his case before proceeding.
Mr Dawkins needed the support of Labor and the crossbenchers to defeat Ms Lee.
Earlier, Treasurer Rob Lucas said it was “not a good look” to have two Liberal colleagues battle it out for the role of president.
“I’ve known John as a colleague for a couple of decades almost and I’m very disappointed that John has chosen to go down this particular path,” he said.
Asked if it would render Mr Dawkins’ position in the Liberal Party untenable if he followed through with his bid for the presidency, Mr Lucas said “yes it does”.
Mr Dawkins explained his reasons for running on Tuesday morning.
“It is essential that South Australia’s Legislative Council be presided over by an experienced Upper House member who has a recognised and respected understanding of the processes and procedures of our Chamber and the Parliament,” he said.
Mr Dawkins said he valued his record as a Legislative Councillor who “always upholds the standing of the Upper House as part of a well-functioning, balanced bicameral parliamentary system”.
“I have earned the respect of colleagues from across the Parliament, especially during my 16 years as Opposition Whip, my 15-year membership of the Joint Parliamentary Services Committee and as Acting President of the Legislative Council – a function I have fulfilled in every term of parliament since 1997,” he said.
Independent MLC John Darley said he would not only vote for Mr Dawkins, he planned to second his nomination.
“Looking at the two applicants, John Dawkins is a standout in terms of experience, knowledge of standing orders etc,” he said.
“There is no question about his ability to do the job.”
Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said Labor would back Mr Dawkins in the vote.
“We do that for a number of reasons – firstly because John Dawkins has been a statesman of the Parliament now for a long period of time,” he said.
“He knows the workings of the Parliament and he’s also been a powerful advocate for issues around mental health and suicide prevention.”
After the vote, Labor’s Upper House leader Kyam Maher said the Liberals were “bitterly divided”.
“Today we saw those divisions explode into the Parliament in a way we have never seen before,” he said.
“It is utterly humiliating for Steven Marshall to lose a vote for such an important role as the Legislative Council President.”
Greens MLC Tammy Franks backed Ms Lee.
“I’ve worked with both of them for over 10 years so I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on each of them and their strengths and weaknesses,” she said.
Ms Franks said she had also raised with both candidates the idea of reforming the estimates process – the way in which Parliament scrutinises the budget.
“We’re the only Upper House in the entire Commonwealth that does not participate in estimates. It would open up our parliamentary scrutiny to the budget processes in a way that a house of review should and so I got a better response from Jing Lee than I did from John Dawkins on that one,” she said.
The top job in the Upper House became available after former President Terry Stephens resigned in the wake of the travel allowance scandal.
Ms Lee had come under fire in recent weeks amid allegations over her links to China.
In August, she defended her work with various multicultural groups, including the Xinjiang Association of SA – which allegedly has links to the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Government and denies there is any persecution of China’s Uighur ethnic minority.
Ms Lee also said she did not support the now-controversial Chinese Belt and Road initiative.
Last week, three senior federal Liberal MPs Tony Pasin, Nicolle Flint and Alex Antic sent a joint letter to the Liberal Party state executive last week requesting it investigate Ms Lee’s alleged connections to China.
A day of upside down priorities
By Daniel Wills
ANALYSIS: A lot has happened in the six weeks State Parliament was on holiday.
Australia officially entered its first recession in almost 30 years, as thousands remain out of work, and mounting COVID-19 cases across the country divided our border communities.
And yet, the first day our politicians were on North Terrace was spent fighting about who sat in the comfy chairs.
The successful breakaway nomination of former Liberal MP John Dawkins as upper house president is the most remarkable example of upside down priorities from the day.
After 23 years in the parliament – elected not in his own right but as the member of a Liberal ticket – Mr Dawkins ignored the wishes of his long-term team to grab the underwhelming prize of a wig and a pay boost as he waits out the next 18 months to retirement. His former colleagues are fuming, and say he will be become a “pariah”.
Premier Steven Marshall’s authority has been weakened, and he is confronted with yet another case of internal division that could have unpredictable results as campaign mode begins next year.
In the lower house, new speaker Josh Teague inflamed the Opposition with a hit on their leader just minutes after taking the plush job.
Labor, in predictable fashion, rose to the provocation and sought to have question time abandoned and Mr Teague sacked.
For those who don’t need to worry about keeping their jobs, and instead are aspiring to a $150,000 pay bump and driver, it’s all very entertaining.
These parlour games and pantomime are easier than actually working for a living. The COVID-19 crisis restored some popular faith that politics is noble, and government a force for good. Watching this, you can’t help but again reflect that it’s really another world.