Tributes are flowing for House of Representatives Speaker Harry Jenkins after his shock resignation today.

Mr Jenkins announced his decision to return to the Labor benches in the House of Representatives this morning, saying he was frustrated by the need to remain impartial and wanted to return to the cut and thrust of Labor policy debates.

The move pitched Liberal Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper into the spotlight, with Labor Caucus wasting little time in nominating him for the Speaker's role, and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott threatening to throw him out of the party if he accepted the job.

If Mr Slipper is elected to the Speaker's role Labor would effectively bolster its numbers in the House of Representatives by one.

"Jenkins and I have had a very good working relationship and he has my greatest admiration," Mr Slipper said as he took the Speaker's place, still in his role as Deputy, today.

Liberal MP Russell Broadbent said Mr Jenkins' resignation did help the Coalition.

"It may not bode well for my side of politics," he said.

Fighting back tears, Labor whip Jill Hall said Mr Jenkins would be missed.

"Harry is somebody that has the respect and is held in high regard by everyone in this Parliament," she said.

"Not only by members on this side, not only by members on the other side, but by all staff in this Parliament."

Independent MP Bob Katter agreed.

"I've seen many, many speakers and no disrespect to previous speakers - some have been very good, but Harry is by far and away the best," he said.

While it may be for the benefit of the Labor side of politics ... it will be a very great loss for the parliamentary democracy of Australia".

Coalition backbencher Alex Somlyay said the situation put an end to Mr Abbott's hopes of becoming prime minister without an election.

"I think we've passed the point of no return. I don't think Tony Abbott can realistically expect the independents to switch sides and he'll become prime minister," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-24/tributes-for-harry-jenkins/3691160

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May Tonicchio be booted out before the next election please.... Come you "liberal" people, do your duty to this country... Tony-the-menace is a brat — a far too vicious dangerous annoying ignorant brat for this country to have as PM... Come on Malcolm, state your claim on what is yours... Tonicchio stole your gig and you're letting him get away with it? No balls?

A desperate Opposition rearguard action failed to stop renegade Liberal MP Peter Slipper from being installed as Speaker of the House of Representatives in a stunning Labor coup today.

A day of extraordinary political drama began when Labor Speaker Harry Jenkins announced his resignation.

The move pitched Mr Slipper into the spotlight, with Labor Caucus wasting little time in nominating him for the Speaker's role - a move which will effectively give Labor one more seat in the House of Reps and lessen its reliance on independent and Greens MPs.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott hit back by threatening to throw him out of the party if he accepted the job.

The vote to install Mr Slipper was scheduled for 12:30pm AEDT and Mr Slipper announced that he would accept Labor's nomination - effectively casting himself into the political wilderness and guaranteeing his expulsion from the Liberal ranks.

But manager of Opposition business Christopher Pyne stepped up to nominate a succession of Labor MPs for the job instead.

All declined; Anna Burke, Dick Adams, Sid Sidebottom, Sharon Bird, Kirsten Livermore, Steve Georganas ... the list went on.

Finally Mr Pyne gave up the unequal task and Mr Slipper's election to the Speaker's role was confirmed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-24/slipper-installed-as-new-speaker/3691680

Speaking this morning, Tony Abbott likened Labor's recruitment of Mr Slipper to Whitlam's sensational purchase of Vince Gair in 1974, in which the DLP senator was offered the ambassadorship to Ireland in order to free up his seat.

"This is a Government in crisis," he told reporters, and sternly refused to discuss the Colston analogy on the grounds that it was "ancient history".

(Abbott history, one may conclude, features a wrinkle in time around about the mid-'90s, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and mudskippers edged from the primordial slime with nascent hopes of one day helping John Howard flog off a third of Telstra.)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-24/crabb-jenkins-resigns-slipper-in-spotlight/3691904