news, federal-politics

The Turnbull government has been rocked by another day of drama over the dual citizenship fiasco, a diplomatic stoush with New Zealand and another Liberal MP facing questions over their eligibility for Parliament. The government is moving closer towards unilaterally referring four Labor MPs to the High Court to have the validity of their election tested. The move would mark a dramatic escalation of the citizenship stoush that has so far led five MPs - Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan (Nationals), Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters (Greens), and Malcolm Roberts (One Nation) - to be referred to the High Court to have the validity of their elections examined. The move to refer those four Labor MPs - Justine Keay and Susan Lamb (both with British heritage), Tony Zappia (born in Italy) and Maria Vamvakinou (born in Greece) - would force them to produce documents that back up the detailed explanations they have given that they say proves they have complied with section 44 of the constitution, which states that dual citizens cannot be elected to the Federal Parliament. A senior Labor source warned: "If we go down this path, it will destroy them [the Coalition]." The ALP was, the source said, "confident in our vetting processes, while they don't have one, that's why they need the High Court". In another potential blow for the government, Fairfax Media revealed on Tuesday that Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis was urgently seeking to clarify her status as a British citizen, or entitlement to British citizenship. A chaotic question time was dominated by the citizenship issue, with Mr Joyce facing calls from Labor to resign from cabinet and for the government to not accept his vote until the High Court has ruled on whether he was validly elected. Mr Joyce confirmed he had been a New Zealand citizen but that "over the course of the weekend we went through the process of renunciation. We've received verbal communication from New Zealand before question time that that has now been accepted and we're looking forward to the written advice turning up pronto". Before question time, Mr Joyce's dual citizenship sparked a diplomatic brawl when Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said she would find it hard to trust a NZ Labour government if it had any role in trying to bring down the Turnbull government's Deputy Prime Minister. "I would find it very difficult to build trust with members of a political party that had been used by the Australian Labor Party to seek to undermine the Australian government," she said. It was revealed on Tuesday that an Australian Labor Party staffer suggested to NZ Labour frontbencher Chris Hipkins that he might like to ask the NZ Internal Affairs Minister whether a child born in Australia to a NZ father automatically had NZ citizenship - which he subsequently did. New Zealand's Minister of Internal Affairs, Peter Dunne, confirmed it was a Fairfax Media investigation into Mr Joyce that led to the discovery of his dual citizenship but Ms Bishop highlighted contact between Australian Labor and the NZ Labour MP on the issue. NZ Labour leader Jacinda Ardern confirmed Mr Hipkins had been involved and said that he had asked the questions without knowing how they might be used. He had "made it very clear, in hindsight, had he known how it would be used, he would not have asked the questions", she said. During question time, Labor mocked the government's claims of "foreign state interference in Australia's democratic processes". And to cap it off, the Turnbull government lost a vote on the floor of House on an amendment to legislation regarding the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - causing further embarrassment. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pressed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to explain why the Deputy Prime Minister had previously said it was "black and white" that dual nationals should not be in Parliament. Mr Turnbull fired back that at least one Labor MP, Ms Keay, had clearly been a dual citizen at the time she was elected. On Monday, Mr Turnbull wrote to Mr Shorten and asked him to nominate any Labor MPs whose "circumstances may raise questions under s.44 of the Constitution so that the Parliament can refer these matters to the High Court for its consideration". Mr Shorten bluntly refused, arguing Labor has strict vetting processes to ensure all its candidates complied with section 44 of the constitution. Labor believes Liberal MP Julia Banks has still not adequately responded to suggestions she may be entitled to Greek citizenship through descent, while Fairfax Media revealed on Tuesday that Ms Sudmalis is scrambling to ascertain her entitlement to British citizenship. Neither woman has released documents, either.

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