POMMY PARRY
TASMANIA’S most senior politician could be forced to quit politics after discovering he may be a dual BritishAustralia citizen through his UK-born father.
Senate President and Tasmanian senator Stephen Parry has told the Government he believes he is a British citizen and may need to resign his position as fallout over the landmark High Court decision spreads.
As Senate President, Senator Parry holds one of the most senior parliamentary positions in the nation.
If he is forced to leave his $350,000 job, it will temporarily reduce the Coalition’s numbers in the Senate by one.
In a domino effect for the Senate, it could also see the return of Tasmania’s former tourism and international education minister Richard Colbeck — after he lost the 2016 election — and ultimately see Greens senator Nick McKim ousted.
Already four Australian members and senators have been disqualified from Parliament and there have been calls for a full audit of all 226 representatives.
Acting Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said the Turnbull Government was lurching from crisis to crisis.
“It’s extraordinary that the President of the Senate — who oversaw several High Court referrals — did not reflect on his own eligibility until just days ago,” she said yesterday.
Senator Parry announced yesterday that after the unanimous rulings handed down by the High Court of Australia last Friday, he had examined his citizenship status.
His father was born in the UK before coming to Australia in 1951 and marrying his mother in 1960 in Burnie.
“In the event that I am found to hold British citizenship by virtue of my father’s status, then I will clearly be in breach of section 44(1) of the Constitution and would therefore resign as President of the Senate,” he said.
It’s extraordinary that the President of the Senate ... did not reflect on his own eligibility until just days ago
— TANYA PLIBERSEK
“I would further resign as a senator for the state of Tasmania and not await the outcome of any referral to the High Court, as I believe the High Court has made it abundantly clear what action is required.”
In a brief comment yesterday, Mr Colbeck told the Mercury he would be willing to take up the vacant position.
Polling analyst Kevin Bonham said analysis of 2016 Tasmanian Senate voting showed that Mr Colbeck, who polled 13,474 primary votes, would win the position.
“The simulation shows that Colbeck is elected instead of Parry and secondly, in the simulation of a recount without Parry, then One Nation’s Kate McCulloch wins the final seat ahead of Nick McKim,” he said.
“It’s unclear whether the High Court would make that change but it is possible in theory.”
He said there was a precedent in Victoria for the revisiting of other positions in a special count.
Senator Parry said the British Home office had sought further details from him on Tuesday and he was awaiting a response.
“Depending upon the outcome, I may seek further legal advice before reporting back to the Senate,” he said.
“In any event, I will report the result of the investigation and any subsequent advice to the Senate.”
Senator Parry said the High Court decisions last week had provided absolute clarity about the application of section 44 of the Australian Constitution.
Liberal senator Abetz said he was shocked by the news and called on all parliamentarians to check out their positions.
“Senator Parry has a long and distinguished career of service to the people of Tasmania and Australia,” he said.
“If he is found ineligible, his departure would be a huge loss and I am hopeful that any advice from the United Kingdom will allow him to remain in the Senate.”
He said he thought Senator Parry had done the right thing.
Senator Abetz said Senator Parry had not checked his status until now because legal advice from the SolicitorGeneral had been that ministers such as Fiona Nash had been in the clear.
“The High Court has now ruled 7-0 that she wasn’t in the clear.
“Armed with that ruling, Senator Parry re-examined his own personal circumstances.”
He said the Government had been acting on advice to senator Fiona Nash that she was not ineligible and, if so, it would have made Senator Parry eligible.
“I would imagine that there would be quite a few [with concerns] and I would simply call on all of them to do the right and honourable thing and follow the lead of Senator Parry,” he said.
“I would expect there to be cross-party difficulties here
In the event that I am found to hold British citizenship by virtue of my father’s status, then I will clearly be in breach of section 44(1) of the Constitution and would therefore resign as President of the Senate — STEPHEN PARRY
and that’s why I would call on everybody Labor, Liberal, National, Greens, One Nation, anybody that might find themselves in this sort of difficulty to have their antecedents checked out fully to determine whether they are or are not eligible to remain in the Parliament.”
Senator Parry said he had always regarded his late father as an Australian, particularly as he had undertaken national service and participated as a member of the Australian Army Reserve and had voted in every Australian election since adulthood.
He said he had written to the British Home Office seeking clarity as to the status of his citizenship with the United Kingdom. “This was the first opportunity to do so since the High Court ruling,” he said.
Attorney-General George Brandis said he had first been contacted by Senator Parry on Monday morning about the problem.
“If he is disqualified, there would be a countback which would see the re-election of the next person on the Liberal Party Senate ticket in Tasmania,” he said.
Senator Brandis said Senator Parry had told him he expected the information from the British Home office in the next few days.
Acting Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said the Turnbull Government had shown terrible judgment throughout the citizenship saga.
“Malcolm Turnbull must tell Australians whether he knew there were doubts over Senator Parry’s eligibility.
“This revelation now raises questions about the Liberal Party’s negligence when it comes to proper vetting processes.”
Crossbench senator Cory Bernardi again called for an audit of all MPs, and parliamentary sittings to be suspended while the checks are made. Cabinet minister Steven Ciobo expected a lot of MPs were checking their citizenship status following the court case, but rejected an audit as a “silly idea”.
“This whole issue of citizenship-by-descent has been the curve ball that has thrown a lot of people,” Mr Ciobo said.
Senator McKim, who was on Manus Island, was unable to be contacted.
The Mercury sought comment from One Nation candidate Kate McCulloch but she did not respond.