Welcome, House Speaker

We welcome Mrs Marisa Dalrymple Philibert to the speaker's chair in the House of Representatives and note, unfortunately, that she is only the second woman to have had the job.

Mrs Dalrymple Philibert, however, will be aware that our judgement of her will not be based on gender, but on the quality of her performance.

We suggest to Mrs Dalrymple Philibert that it won't be especially difficult for her to improve on the recent past, but that does not necessarily mean that it will have been good enough. In other words, she has a great opportunity to stamp her authority on the House and to be remembered as a speaker who made a difference.

The formula is simple: be fair and even-handed. Learn the rules. Remember that while she was elected on the ticket of one party, she is now above the partisan fray. Nor is she subject to the party whip.

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