Dear Poirot,

Here is what former Speakers think of Bronwyn
Bishop's behaviour as Speaker:

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/07/21/former-speakers-chide-bishop/

She has shown her bias far to often to be an upstanding speaker, and that is without unfettered piggery.

Currently in hiding, she knows the consequences of her actions. To make excuses for acts of selfishness and arrogance is unjustifiable.

Thanks, Foxy.

JF Aus,

"Better to give BB a helicopter to help the nation make billions."

So your solution is that the taxpayers should now provide Bronnie with her own helicopter?

To get to Lib Party fundraisers?

And how would that assist "the nation to make billions"?...(billions of twitter memes, perhaps:)

That's the silliest post on this thread - but at least it's on topic.

It takes tremendous bare-faced gall and hypocrisy for Shorten et al to be attacking Bishop,

or for any other politician including past Speakers to be doing so,

when they themselves refused to amend the 'rules' that advantaged them as well and especially when their 'side' was in office.

Bishop was ill-advised, but there is NO private member's Bill from Shorten or anyone else (unlike Gay marriage!) to make the rules pertaining to politicians' entitlements more rigorous and to increase public transparency and reporting.

Shorten and others do not want to increase their own accountability, NO Siree!

It is all shabby politics isn't it!

I think all are equal there aint they. Surprises are hard to find, especially where trust is involved.
We can only deal with the present, and now. So lets see Abbott deal with the loophole at hand.
We have already seen his allegiance of dealing with a willful community fraudster. After what he wrote about his accusations of slipper ,the man who voted for Abbott instead of Turnbull.

That mob kept Slippers misdemeanors to themselves until he became speaker.

"when they themselves refused to amend the 'rules' that advantaged them as well and especially when their 'side' was in office."

One imagines the degree to which entitlements are abused does depend on the audacity of individual members.

"Soon after the Coalition was elected in 2013, Senator George Brandis became the first Abbott government minister forced to repay the public almost $1700 in expenses claimed to attend the wedding of shock jock Michael Smith.

High-profile ministers Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce soon had to follow suit, repaying taxpayer money they claimed for travel to weddings.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott himself repaid $1600 worth of airfares, car transport and allowances claimed for attending the weddings of two Liberal colleagues, Peter Slipper and Sophie Mirabella.

"To avoid doubt, I paid the relevant money back," he said in a warning to his colleagues. "That's what people should do."

"Embattled Speaker Bronwyn Bishop claimed $600 for return flights from Sydney to Albury for Mrs Mirabella's wedding in 2006 – and she has never repaid the money, Fairfax Media has confirmed.

Previously unreported documents released under freedom of information laws show Mrs Bishop told bureaucrats that the trip constituted government business.

An expense document written in Mrs Bishop's own hand lists only "committee chair business" when asked the purpose of flights, which took her to three cities, including Albury, from where she travelled to the Wangaratta wedding."

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bronwyn-bishop-claimed-sophie-mirabella-wedding-trip-as-official-business-20150724-gijde1.html#ixzz3gmCoHlPt

Or Abbott's hastily scheduled pit stop at a cancer hospital so his trip to a Lib fundraiser the night previously would be within guidelines - something he openly admitted to the party room:

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbotts-visit-to-cancer-hospital-used-to-justify-fundraising-visit-20140826-108nxo.html

Like I said - it's about audacity and a lack of ethics.