Ed Husic Resigns: Whip In Exile Following Leadership Spill


Ed Husic, Parliament’s geek in residence who spearheaded the IT pricing inquiry, has resigned following yesterday’s leadership spill.

Image: Getty

Husic, a Rudd supporter in the leadership spill, stepped down from his position as Government Whip yesterday after Prime Minister Julia Gillard was re-elected unopposed by the Labor Caucus. A Whip is someone in Parliament that acts like the party enforcer. He or she gets people to the Chamber when votes are meant to be taken and issues voting instructions along the party line. It is this position that Husic has resigned, rather than his seat in the electorate of Chifley.

He told Sky News that his stepping down from his position was made in the face of overwhelming support for PM Gillard, adding that “what that allows for is stability in the transition in the next few weeks”.

Husic will likely now move to the backbench with other Rudd supporters, including former Minister for the Arts Simon Crean who initiated the spill yesterday afternoon.

It’s a tough time for Husic to resign his position as Whip, due to the fact that Microsoft, Apple and Adobe are all arriving today after being summoned to Parliament to discuss the IT Pricing Inquiry. Husic was the MP that brought the inquiry to its feet, but it’s actually being chaired by Nick Champion MP.

Husic has told us this morning that he’s still a member of the committee into IT Pricing and is looking forward to hitting the big corporates.


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