Before people had even had their second morning Nespresso, Daryl Melham quit his well-worn and well-loved post as caucus chairman. In an impromptu doorstop - which stopped traffic in the press gallery corridors - Melham strenuously denied reports he'd had a ''dummy spit'' over the Labor leadership, or cabinet lording it over backbenchers.

After eight years and eight days in the role, the member for Banks simply reckoned it was time. That and he had a seat to retain at the next election.

But as Melham told reporters to move along, there's nothing to see here, a scene seriously worth seeing was brewing downstairs in the chamber.

Minutes into question time, Tony Abbott moved to suspend standing orders. And this was no ordinary SSO. This time, he wanted a vote to dump Peter Slipper and pronto.

With the publication of more Slipper-Ashby texts (that defied weirdness in anyone's book), the Coalition had had enough. One supposes that (reported) text messages likening vaginas to molluscs will do that to an opposition.

''This Speaker had failed the character test,'' Abbott decreed, adding that Slipper was the Prime Minister's ''creation.'' But while Julia Gillard agreed to a debate and concurred the texts were sexist, she wasn't tempted to apologise.

On the contrary, she was furiousness personified.

''I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man [Abbott] … not now, not ever,'' she said, mustering all the seethe she had.

As the House contemplated the mutual gut kicking, Slipper's speakership squeaked through 69 votes to 70. Innocent until proven guilty and all that jazz.

But just as Parliament was winding down for the evening - and people were pondering that first shiraz cabernet - the member for Fisher had another surprise up the sleeve of his robe. After issuing a statement apologising for the offending texts and entertaining a Serbian delegation in his quarters (business as usual), Slipper slipped back to the House to announce his resignation as Speaker.

The House sat in silence as he explained - voice and hands shaking - that he was going voluntarily, without rancour and for the good of the Parliament.

But if this was denouement, no one looked particularly resolved.

Anna Burke squirmed as Slipper praised her loyalty, while Gillard nodded uncomfortably (Do you have to?) when he praised her ''amazing stamina''.

Abbott just looked unimpressed when Slipper reminisced how the Opposition Leader had attended his wedding. Slipper had to stop, breathe and compose himself several times during his last hurrah, which even he admitted ran over time.

But after six months of sitting in the Speaker's sin bin, that was the least of Slipper's problems.

As he said, with a half laugh: ''I'm a bit beyond trying to make a good impression in a speech.''