If Bronwyn Bishop wishes to remain Speaker, she should sever links with the Liberal Party. And our Parliament should follow Britain's lead and make this move mandatory for future speakers, writes Chris Earl.

The problem with incumbents of the speaker's chair in Australia's House of Representatives is that they are beholden to party machines that determine their tenure as the nation's number one standard bearer for the democratic ideals of the nation.

Often they have been loyal party servants "dragged to the chair" after many years sitting on the backbench or as a consolation prize for missing out on a ministry.

They have a comprehensive practical understanding of the Parliament, its processes and its quirks.

Somehow, they are to instantly switch from battle-hardened partisan warriors to a position of independence and authority while outside the chamber support the government and the party they have represented for so long.

Accusations of bias quickly test the abilities and patience of incumbents in the House of Representatives where opponents continue to view them as political prey.

Liberal David Hawker - representing the Western District seat of Wannon following Malcolm Fraser's retirement in 1983 - presided over the House in the final term of the Howard government, and was not immune from vitriolic attacks fired by the opposition. Neither was his successor, Harry Jenkins, a 20-year Labor veteran when he was elected speaker.

The blowtorch has been applied throughout history with the same intensity to former leaders and ministers elected speaker after missing the cut for a spot in cabinet. Country (National) Party hardheads Sir Archie Cameron and Ian Sinclair; former Victorian premier and federal minister, William Watt; and Labor's Norman Makin.

Now it is the turn of Bronwyn Bishop, embroiled in claims of bias and the excessive travel expense controversy for chartering a helicopter to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser. She came to the position a veteran of the Parliament and a former Howard government minister; a warrior whose independence has been constantly challenged.

Unless there is a major cultural shift in attitudes within Australia's political parties to the role of speaker and the expectations they place on MPs elected speaker, Bishop will not be the last exposed to a fierce and hostile environment.

Our Westminster system requires that speakers be politically impartial but Australia has never fully embraced the ideal.

In Britain's House of Commons, "the new Speaker must resign from their political party and remain separate from political issues even in retirement".

The speaker continues to deal with constituents' problems and stand in general elections where, according to convention, they are generally unopposed by the major political parties. They do not campaign on political issues but simply stand as "the speaker seeking re-election".

Canadian convention differs slightly, with the speaker nearly always running for re-election as a member of a political party, but they do not attend caucus meetings.

Australia has twice come close to the concept of an independent speaker. Two-time South Australian premier Sir Frederick Holder was elected to the first Parliament as a member of the Free Trade Party.

Holder left the party after being elected inaugural speaker of the House of Representatives and continued in the role as an independent MP until his death in 1909.

Former Liberal leader Sir Billy Snedden became speaker in 1976 following the election of the Fraser government. He removed himself from political involvement and became an ardent voice for reform of the office in a bid to restore dignity and respect through independence modelled on the House of Commons.

Snedden's 1979 paper called for the adoption of Westminster conventions - that the speaker remain in office a maximum of seven years then resign and hold no further public office; that the speaker be unopposed by the major political parties at general elections; and that the speaker resign from his or her party upon becoming speaker.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has responded to the furore over Bishop's travel expenses saying:

She has been a strong Speaker ... she has been a strong servant of our country, she has been a good servant of the Coalition and so she does have my confidence. But like everyone who has done something like this, inevitably, for a period of time, they are on probation.

Two of the attributes praised by Abbott are absolutely relevant to any person holding the office of speaker. But the third - being a good servant of a political party - has no standing in the performance of the democratic umpire in the Parliament.

Bishop's current problems have been brought on by herself and the modern Australian convention that compels occupants of the speaker's chair to juggle demands of democracy with those of party hierarchy on a senior MP capable of filling the "celebrity void" when ministers are unavailable as a headline act for a local fundraiser.

Her survival as Madam Speaker in this term of Parliament will be decided by colleagues on both sides of the House; the same colleagues whose predictable jousting since the explosion of anger over #choppergate have equally damaged respect for the office and democracy itself.

The office of speaker must be above partisan politics. If Bishop wishes to remain Speaker, she should immediately sever links with the Liberal Party, as hard as that may be, and embrace the laudable examples of Holder and Snedden.

More importantly, quick action must come from the parliamentary and organisational wings of all parties with adoption of the Westminster conventions for MPs elected to the position.

The winner will be democracy.

Chris Earl is a Bendigo-based rural and regional affairs consultant and was a member of the Liberal Party's Victorian Division administrative committee for five years.