But the glitter of his election to the speakership was overshadowed by a small but oh-so-dark thundercloud.

Smith, the Victorian Liberal, was greeted by hearty handshakes and back pats when he entered the House of Representatives on Monday.

But behind him stalked the artist formerly known as Madam Speaker, on her way to her new seat up the back of the chamber, where she was comforted by more gentle pats and hugs from colleagues.

Bronwyn Bishop's new seat, near the centre of the parliamentary arc, gave her a perfectly clear line of sight to the big chair she had occupied only weeks ago. And a similarly handy view of Smith, as he was dragged to the Speaker's seat by backbenchers Lucy Wicks and Michael Sukkar.

The whole chamber applauded as the new Speaker took up his post.

Everyone, that is, except the Member for Mackellar.

Perhaps due to fatigue from the rigours of recent weeks, she needed to take a lengthy rest from clapping.

But even once the transition from Bishop to Smith had officially been completed, the woman who stopped the nation with her penchant for short-haul aviation was on everyone's minds.

Tony Abbott, who had watched his personal selection for Speaker turn into a captain's pickle, looked crankflated (cranky + deflated). After briefly acknowledging Smith, he moved on to spare a thought for his ideological mumma.

"Just a word if I may on the Member for Mackellar," he began.

"She has been a warrior for the causes that she believe in."

Leader of the house Christopher Pyne - who along with Abbott, dragged Bishop to the Speaker's chair in 2013 - had some in the chamber gasping when he observed, "[Bishop] has been felled in most unfair circumstances".

Labor's Bill Shorten stuck to the Bishop theme, but without wearing a sugar coat.

"Serving as Speaker is a privilege, not a prize. A responsibility, not a reward," he preached.

"Today is a chance to lift the standards of this Parliament, to return them to a level which Australians rightly expect of their representatives."

When finally it was Smith's turn to speak, his criticism of Bishop was between the lines. He would not attend party room meetings as Madam Speaker had done.

"It's my view that the Speaker should not only be, but also be seen to be independent of the partisan day-to-day foray," Smith tellingly opined.

All the while, Bishop glowered with the kind of intensity that could power a luxury motorhome around Australia.

In the end, she was walked most of the way out of the chamber under the protection of a bear hug from Queenslander Ewen Jones.

But the newfound backbencher was only too happy to linger to make sure photographers got shots of her being embraced by colleagues near the door.

Madam Speaker was gone, but she did not want to be forgotten.

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