The scandal surrounding Peter Slipper is a serious blow for Julia Gillard, because it not only draws attention to her government's precarious parliamentary position but also raises questions about her judgment.
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As the PM travels to Gallipoli, Tony Abbott has the home turf advantage, and is shrill with indignation over the MP who ratted on the Liberal Party to become Labor's hero.
Peter Slipper was supposed to be the saviour of the minority Labor government, giving it a two-seat parliamentary buffer, not an object of ridicule.
His departure from the chamber won't necessarily bring down the government, but it brings Labor's agenda close to being stalled.
Labor hopes the allegations against Slipper will be resolved before Parliament next meets for the budget on May 8.
But if that is not the case, Labor's majority could be reduced to just one, relying on the casting vote of acting Speaker Anna Burke.
That could spark another round of uncertainty so hated by the business community, as occurred last year, before Slipper's defection increased Labor's buffer to two.
Another fall in business confidence would be a major setback for Treasurer Wayne Swan, whose budget is already buffeted by declining company tax revenue.
More important for the government, if this mess is protracted, it will distract from Labor's agenda.
Since the leadership spill was resolved strongly in Gillard's favour, she has been getting her show on the road, travelling the country, negotiating deals with Liberal premiers and producing the aged-care package.
She has been looking more confident, shrugging off Labor's very low support in the polls, preferring to play a long game towards the next election.
But Tony Abbott is now urging voters to see this issue through the prism of the Prime Minister's judgment in luring Slipper to the speakership.
It is a truism that she is not responsible for Slippery Pete's conduct, and had no power to stand him aside while the alleged criminal conduct is investigated.
But her silence on the issue for almost two days - until after Slipper stood aside - gave Abbott the space to make a lot of noise and remind voters of the situation when the Australian Defence Force Academy commandant Bruce Kafer was placed on leave by the government while an inquiry was held into a sex scandal at the academy.
As Gillard pauses to remember Australia's fallen soldiers, she will be hoping fervently for Slipper's quick return to the Speaker's chair.
The alternative would be the perception of a government in crisis, casting a shadow over the budget.
