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Julie Bishop says Bronwyn Bishop is considering her position amid speculation the Labor party will use the resumption of Parliament to disrupt question time as part of the fallout from the Speaker's use of taxpayers entitlements.
And a second cabinet Minister, Scott Morrison, declined to say whether he had confidence in the Speaker and said Mrs Bishop is consulting with her colleagues.
"I'm not one to offer public lectures to my colleagues on these things," he said.
"If I have anything to pass on to the Speaker I will do it privately and not offer public lectures on these things.
"The Speaker is consulting with her colleagues."
This came as News Corp reported on Wednesday that the Speaker claimed travel allowance to attend federal Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro's wedding in 2007 and Labor vowed to call out the absurdity of the Mrs Bishop's position, if she remains in the chair by the time Parliament resumes next month.
The Foreign Minister's comments declining to support the Speaker are significant given her position as Deputy Liberal Leader and that she is considered an ally of Mrs Bishop. Mr Morrison's comments are also significant as he is considered a potential future Liberal leader.
The Speaker's office has defended the claiming of entitlements at the time of both weddings, citing meetings with anonymous figures relating to parliamentary committee work, but is refusing to reveal who Mrs Bishop met.
A spokesman for the Speaker defended the use of entitlements to travel to Brisbane for Mrs Gambaro's wedding as it coincided with committee work scheduled for the next day.
"She travelled up there for official purposes as committee chair," he said.
"The Speaker had a meeting at the Brisbane CPO the next morning with an academic who had relevant experience in the area the committee was examining which was illicit drugs," the spokesman said.
Speaking from New York, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Wednesday there was no doubt the issue would dominate Parliament when it resumes on Monday week.
"I understand that the Labor party will seek to use this to destabilise question time for example and I'm sure Speaker Bishop will take that into account as she considers her position," Ms Bishop told the Nine Network's Today program.
"But I believe it's important the Department of Finance be able to carry out an investigation," she added.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called on Mr Abbott to act and replace the Speaker with veteran Coalition MP Bruce Scott.
"Put simply, Mr Abbott has to act. Bronwyn Bishop has to go," Mr Shorten said.
"I think it's now time perhaps for the Coalition to look at putting in a more reasonable face, someone who'd respect the independence of the Speaker's position, so we can restore the standard of parliamentary democracy in this country."
MPs will return to Canberra on August 11 and Labor is likely to stage some sort of protest against the Speaker in that week.
But Labor's manager of opposition business Tony Burke told Fairfax Media he expected the Prime Minister would dismiss the Speaker before then.
"It's unbelievable to think Tony Abbott is so out of touch that he would allow Bronwyn Bishop to still be in the chair when Parliament returns," Mr Burke said.
"But if that's the absurdity we face, Labor will be calling it as we see it," he said.
Labor is likely to move a no-confidence motion in the Speaker in the House. This would almost certainly fail because the government commands a 14-seat majority in the lower house.
But any political manoeuvre would renew focus on the Speaker's use of travel entitlements and specifically her decision to charter a private helicopter to fly to Geelong for a Liberal fundraiser.
Mrs Bishop has agreed to repay the money but has refused to apologise to voters for the grandiose use of taxpayers money.
