Joyce says he’s only Aussie after Katter pulls support
DEPUTY Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has stunned Parliament by saying he is no longer a New Zealand citizen.
The Nationals leader told Parliament yesterday he had received oral confirmation before Question Time that his application to renounce his NZ citizenship had been accepted.
He is now awaiting documentation.
This startling revelation followed independent MP Bob Katter plunging the Turnbull government into chaos by saying he had no confidence in the Coalition and could no longer guarantee Supply.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was facing the possibility he would be forced to seek an alliance with a crossbench MP to hold on to government if Mr Joyce had been ruled ineligible to sit in Parliament because of his dual citizenship.
Even if it is confirmed Mr Joyce is no longer an NZ citizen, it is likely the High Court will find he was ineligible to have been elected to Parliament each time he was.
That would trigger a by-election in his seat and that would probably draw popular independent Tony Windsor back into the fray, plus every effort from every side of politics.
Last election, the Coalition campaigned strong and hard against Mr Windsor.
Mr Katter yesterday told Sky News it was “back to the drawing board” in negotiations for support.
The Queensland MP has outlined what he wanted if Mr Turnbull sought his support.
“You’re one by-election away from needing mine or Rebekha Sharkie’s vote,” Mr Katter told Sky News.
Mr Katter said his support hinged on the government backing his call for a banking royal commission and a probe into the need for biofuels such as ethanol.
To hold on to power if Mr Joyce lost his seat after a High Court ruling, Mr Turnbull would need one of five possible allies: independents Cathy McGowan and Andrew Wilkie, Mr Katter, Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie or Greens MP Adam Bandt.
Meanwhile New Zealand’s Opposition Leader has hit back after being blamed for the Joyce citizenship saga by Turnbull ministers looking for a scapegoat.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop escalated the issue into a diplomatic drama. She warned she might not trust a Labour New Zealand government should it win the coming election, accusing NZ Labour of colluding with ALP leader Bill Shorten to expose Mr Joyce’s dual citizenship.
NZ Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern dismissed that as “disappointing” and untrue.