Last day of Parliament proves eventful, Crook

NATIONALS WA Federal Member for O’Connor Tony Crook has extended his gratitude to former Speaker of the House, Hon Harry Jenkins MP today.

As Parliament resumed this morning, Mr Jenkins handed in his resignation from the role of Speaker to take a more active role in the Labor Party.

Mr Crook thanked Mr Jenkins for his service to the House of Representatives.

“Mr Jenkins has fulfilled his role with distinction for the past four years and the Parliament owes him their gratitude,” Mr Crook said.

“I personally would like to thank Mr Jenkins for the guidance and support he has offered me when I entered the House as a new Member of Parliament in 2011.”

“I thank Mr Jenkins for his service, his support and his good humour, and I wish him all the very best in the future.”

Mr Crook welcomed Peter Slipper MP to his role as the new Speaker of the House.

Mr Crook acknowledged that the appointment of a new Speaker would alter the dynamic of the House.

“For my part, I did not opt to sit on the Crossbench because of the tightness of the numbers,” Mr Crook said.

“Whether the Gillard Government has the numbers by one, two, or ten, it does not affect my position in the House.

“I made my decision to sit on the Crossbench because, clearly, there is a major inability for both major parties to represent WA in Canberra.”

Mr Crook said his Private Member’s Motion to deliver a fairer share of GST returns exemplified this.

“Today we watched MPs from both major parties vote against the best interests of WA.

“Being tied to a major party means I would have to vote against a better deal for my State.

“I came into this Parliament with a clear mandate to secure a fairer share of GST returns for WA,” Mr Crook said.

“I will continue to use my influential position as a member of the Crossbench to deliver for WA.”