TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: Federal parliament's broken up for a six week break. Time enough for tempers to cool after a heated debate about the independence of the speaker.

The Opposition has declared it has no confidence in Bronwyn Bishop.

This afternoon, it failed in a bid to move a no confidence motion against her, accusing Ms Bishop of bias and gross incompetence.

The debate was triggered after the speaker threw out the Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus for 24 hours, because he'd tried to attract her attention by calling out "madam speaker".

The Government's accused the Opposition of being 'sooks'' and some of them of having a problem with a woman in the speaker's chair.

Chief political correspondent Sabra Lane.

BRONWYN BISHOP, SPEAKER: The Minister will resume his seat. The Minister will resume his seat.

(Sound of song, Get Your House In Order)

BRONWYN BISHOP: The Leader of the Opposition is warned. You can regard yourselves as universally warned.

Those on my left will show some courtesy.

There will be silence.

MARK DREYFUS, SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL: You do need to listen. It's your job.

BRONWYN BISHOP: The member for Isaacs will leave under 94A.

SABRA LANE, REPORTER: There've been 34 sitting days of the House of Representatives in the life of this parliament and in that time 99 Labor MPs have been thrown from the chamber.

BRONWYN BISHOP: We seem to have a new tactic of having an outburst of infectious laughter.

(Sound of laughter from the chamber)

SABRA LANE: Opposition MPs were in fits of laughter yesterday, joking with one another over the decision to revive knighthoods and dameships.

Labor MP Julie Collins was sprung for it and tossed out.

TONY BURKE, MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS: Are you ruling people out of order because they're laughing?

BRONWYN BISHOP: And you can regard yourselves as universally warned.

SABRA LANE: Rumblings about the Speakers rulings, today morphed into a no confidence motion against Bronwyn Bishop.

TONY BURKE: Madam Speaker.

BRONWYN BISHOP: I name the Member for Isaacs.

SABRA LANE: Naming is a serious sinbinning in Parliament. A vote on it was never in doubt given the governments majority on the floor.

BRONWYN BISHOP: The result of the division is Ayes: 82 and Noes: 54. The Member for Isaacs is therefore suspended from the House from the services of the House for 24 hours.

TONY BURKE: Today is the day, when for the first time in the history of the Commonwealth, someone is thrown out for saying, "Madam Speaker," that everybody has to acknowledge that this farce has gone on for far too long.

PARLIAMENT: Hear, hear.

SABRA LANE: The Government counters that today's no-confidence motion was nothing more than a stunt.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE, LEADER OF THE HOUSE: The member for Isaacs is a bully and an aggressive one at that and he has deliberately, deliberately been trying to be rude to you.

BRONWYN BISHOP: I said desist.

JOE HOCKEY, TREASURER: Thank you.

BRONWYN BISHOP: If you don't know the meaning of it, look it up. The member for Grayndler. And he doesn't need to shout.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LABOR MP: Well, sometimes I do to get attention, Madam Speaker.

BRONWYN BISHOP: Not really.

CHRIS BOWEN, LABOR MP: Insults are sometimes traded in this House, they should never come from your chair, Madam Speaker. You should withdraw without reservation.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: I didn't stand up like a great big sook like the manager of Opposition business did today and say like one of my four children that I've had my toy taken away from me.

JOE HOCKEY: These shenanigans from these fools on the other side.

SABRA LANE: The Government's also accused some in Labor of having a problem with a woman in the Speaker's chair. The argument consumed most of Question Time.

It's worth pointing out the Independents, Andrew Wilkie, and Cathy McGowan, sided with the Government. The Greens' Adam Bandt voted with the Opposition. Bob Katter and Clive Palmer were no-shows.

Publicly, Government MP say they're happy with the Speaker's performance. Privately, some admit Ms Bishop's performance has been questionable, that she's been a participant and cheerleader in debates not an impartial mediator.

The Prime Minister is standing by his choice.

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER: It was a pretty juvenile display by the Labor Party in the parliament today but I thought it was handled with grace and humour by Speaker Bronwyn Bishop. They have no sense of humour and that's the trouble with losing an election. You tend to lose your sense of humour but I think what they need to understand is that they did lose the election, it is important to learn the lessons of that defeat.

SABRA LANE: Claims of bias are nothing new against speakers. Labor's Leo Macleay was accused of wearing his partisan colours on his sleeve and also the subject of a failed no confidence motion.

Political parties often promise parliamentary reform but lose the appetite once they're in government. This is no different. The Government's leader of it House, Christopher Pyne, promised a small 'i' independent speaker in the same mould of Labor's Harry Jenkins who removed himself from Party Room meetings to show genuine independence.

PAUL WILLIAMS, DR, POLITICS, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY: There's no doubt Bronwyn Bishop has been a very robust Speaker. She's no shrinking violet and that was clearly made by the manager of Opposition business today in the house, Tony Burke, who said everyone respects her on both sides of parliament as a robust parliamentarian, a good parliamentarian and warrior for the Labor Party.

It has to be said even the casual observer of parliamentary politics can see some perhaps questionable rulings and questionable behaviour on her part. We've seen the Speaker, for example interject from the chair when the Opposition stands to make a point of order or perhaps is addressing the parliament in some way, we've seen points of order dismissed without hearing them.

ANTHONY ALBANESE: We see, time after time, the Leader of the House give instructions to you as the chair.

BRONWYN BISHOP: No way.

PAUL WILLIAMS: One place where the Speaker can take the lead on this to remove questions over her integrity is for her to avoid attending Liberal Party strategy meetings. That's clearly the first place to start.

SABRA LANE: It's a reminder for everyone that this is your taxpayer dollars at work.

PAUL WILLIAMS: Even though it may seem like an arcane or erudite point about what's the role of the speaker and whether or not she's biased, I think this does filter down in to the water cooler chatter and I think it will eventually reflect badly on the Liberal and National Party if they don't have some sort of better arrangement or if the Speaker doesn't seem to act more impartially.

CHRIS BOWEN: It should apply to you.

(Sound of song, Get Your House In Order)

TONY BURKE: Everyone in Australia knows bias when they see it.

PARLIAMENTARIANS: Hear, hear!

(Sound of song, Get Your House In Order)

CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Bizarre. It is ludicrous. It is over the top.

SABRA LANE: Parliament's now risen for a six week break. It will resume on Budget day.

TRACY BOWDEN: Sabra Lane reporting there.