The importance of the House is... far more important than my future.

1(5)/ Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) in relation to allegations concerning the use of Cabcharge vouchers. The Government initially agreed but various questions about the documents including whether the payments were inflated and even whether Slipper signed them all were raised in the media. Previously he had served as a Parliamentary Secretary Whip and Committee Chairman in the Howard government.

On 9 October 2012 a motion of no confidence in Slipper as Speaker of the House was narrowly defeated. He previously represented the same division for the Nationals from 1984 to 1987. In December 2012 Slipper successfully argued that sexual abuse charges levelled at him were vexatious and the case was dismissed.