Aspiring politicians would face greater scrutiny in a new system being considered for five federal byelections due within weeks, potentially pushing back the date of the “super Saturday” ballots.

The Turnbull government is considering a scheme that would encourage all candidates to produce hard proof of their eligibility to run for federal parliament, in a bid to prevent more scandals over dual citizenship.

A key factor is the need for a practical scheme as soon as possible amid widespread doubt about whether Australians would support a referendum to amend the citizenship test in section 44 of the constitution.

The Australian Electoral Commission raised the idea of an “online tool” late last year as a way for all candidates to lodge declarations about their citizenship and possibly release documents to prove their claims.

Fairfax Media has been told the Turnbull government is actively considering the idea in the hope of having it in place for the five byelections to be held after the forced resignations of four MPs over their citizenship and the resignation of a fifth for family reasons.