CANBERRA, Australia, Shawwal 25, 1436, August 10, 2015, SPA -- Australian government lawmakers on Monday elected a new speaker of the House of Representatives after the previous speaker resigned over an expense scandal that has damaged Prime Minister Tony Abbott's conservative government, according to AP. The new speaker Tony Smith defeated his nearest challenger Andrew Southcott in a ballot of ruling Liberal Party lawmakers 51 votes to 22. His selection was later formally endorsed by the House of Representatives, where the government holds a clear majority. --SPA 03:59 LOCAL TIME 00:59 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w