By MELISSA MEEHAN
CONSTITUENTS of the Evelyn electorate will still be represented in the party room despite MP Christine Fyffe being elected unopposed as the 36th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Mrs Fyffe’s new position came as no surprise, as current Speaker Ken Smith stepped down on Tuesday.
While Mrs Fyffe gives up her vote in Parliament, she will still be able to talk about local issues in the party room, and work with other politicians in the area to get her views across.
Mrs Fyffe thanked the House for expressing their confidence in her as she takes on the new role.
“I am humbled to take on the role of Speaker,” Mrs Fyffe said.
“I do not take this task on lightly. I acknowledge it will be a challenge to steer a finely-balanced Parliament.
“The Speaker is a servant of the Parliament, whose priority is the protection of the rights of members and to ensure the smooth running of the House.
“I see the role of speaker is to apply the Standing Orders that are set by the Parliament itself. Being Speaker is very much akin to the role of an umpire.
“For me, Australia has truly been the lucky country. I was fortunate that Australia accepted me as an immigrant who arrived with very little and later granted me citizenship. I met my husband David, raised a family together and we owned our own business.
“The voters of Evelyn have put their confidence in me at three elections, and now I have been given the great honour of being elected Speaker.”
Mrs Fyffe brings 10 years of parliamentary experience to the role, including the past three years as Deputy Speaker.
Mrs Fyffe was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as the member for Evelyn in 1999 and was subsequently re-elected in 2006 and 2010.
Mrs Fyffe is married to David and has five adult children.
Before entering politics, Mrs Fyffe was a Commissioner of the Shire of Yarra Ranges during its amalgamation. Prior to this, Mrs Fyffe and David owned and operated a Yarra Valley winery and restaurant.
