Barry Soper: Why House Speaker Trevor Mallard should resign 11 Dec, 2020 05:12 AM 4 minutes to read The Speaker Trevor Mallard during Question Time in Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell OPINION: Trevor Mallard should resign from the Speaker's job, I believe, before he faces a vote of no confidence when Parliament resumes sitting in February. National's lost confidence in him and Labour, the party that preaches wellbeing and kindness, surely will have no choice but to vote against his continuing in the role. It's been confirmed that the almost $334,000 in legal costs have been paid out by the taxpayer. Why? Well Mallard had the rules changed after he made his outrageous comment to protect him from having to pay the bill for something he should have known would go against him.