Speaker of the Senate

This article is a part of the Politics and Government of Ibagli series.
Executive
Monarch (King Charles III) Governor-General (Sir Steven Spell) Prime Minister (Roger Pollack) Executive Council • Cabinet
Legislative (Parliament)
House of Commons (Speaker) Government House Leader Loyal Opposition (Leader) Senate (Speaker)
Judicial
Supreme Court (Chief Justice) Crown Court Constitution (Constitution Act)

The Speaker of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Ibagli. The current Speaker of the Senate is Kenneth Thompson.

The Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Executive Council. By convention, however, this advice is generally expressed exclusively by the Prime Minister. Therefore, while the appointment is made de jure by the Queen's representative, the de facto appointment is made by the Prime Minister alone.

The role of the Speaker in the Senate is based on that of the Lord Chancellor of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. In keeping with the role of the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker of the Senate is expected to be partisan; he or she can at all times have the right to leave the Chair, to participate in debates, and to hold an original vote — unlike the Speaker of the House of Commons, who has a casting vote only in the event of a tie.

The Speaker of the Senate is also similar to the Lord Chancellor is that he or she is considered equal to other senators. Decisions of the Chair are not binding on the Senate unless the Speaker's decision is also the pleasure of a majority of senators. Also similar to the practice of the Lords is that the Speaker will not intervene unless another senator brings the matter to the attention of the Speaker. Decisions from the Chair remain subject to appeals from the Senate.

List of Speakers of the Senate

Name	Term	Party
Wilfred Albertson	1955–1958	Liberal
Gerald Pinter	1958–1959	Liberal
John Nettles	1959–1963	Conservative
Alan Frank	1963–1966	Conservative
Ryan Darndt	1966–1967	Conservative
Carl Veston	1967–1969	Conservative
Arnold Racker	1969–1971	Conservative
Richard Trent	1971–1972	Conservative
Alex Barnett	1972–1976	Liberal
Richard Trent	1976–1977	Conservative
Alex Barnett	1977–1981	Liberal
Richard Trent	1981–1985	Conservative
Austin Lehman	1985–1989	Conservative
Frank Neering	1989	Conservative
Randall Cunningham	1989–1994	Liberal
Sophie Vendemyer	1994–1999	Conservative
Kenneth Thompson	1999–2004	Conservative
Theresa Brenton	2004–2006	Liberal
Kenneth Thompson	2006	Conservative
Theresa Brenton	2006	Liberal
Russell McHenry	2006	Liberal
Kenneth Thompson	2006–	Conservative