ONE OF US, BRO
BARNABY’S CUZZIE CONUNDRUM
VOTERS in Barnaby Joyce’s electorate of New England could be asked to decide the fate of the Turnbull Government at a by-election after the shock revelation that the Deputy Prime Minister is a New Zealand citizen.
Mr Joyce yesterday refused to stand down from Cabinet after receiving legal advice from the Solicitor-General that the High Court was unlikely to disqualify him from Parliament for having dual citizenship.
If the court did disqualify Mr Joyce, the Government would lose its one-seat majority in the House of Representatives and be forced to rely on the support of independent MPs to remain in office until a by-election could be held in the regional NSW electorate of New England.
Mr Joyce would be eligible to stand as a candidate at the by-election if he renounced his New Zealand citizenship.
Mr Joyce was advised last Thursday that he was a New Zealand citizen “by descent” because his father James was born there.
The Government is confident that the High Court will clear Mr Joyce of breaching Section 44 of the Constitution because he wasn’t born in New Zealand, doesn’t appear on that country's citizenship register and couldn’t reasonably be expected to know he was entitled to citizenship there.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended his deputy’s right to remain in Cabinet until his status was resolved by the High Court.
“The Deputy Prime Minister is qualified to sit in this House and the High Court will so hold,’’ Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Joyce was re-elected as the member for New England with almost 59 per cent of the two-candidate-preferred vote last year, easily defeating former independent MP Tony Windsor.
Mr Windsor said he might stand for the seat again if a byelection was held. “I wouldn’t rule anything out,’’ he said.
Even if it lost a by-election, the Government could expect to stay in office until the next election, with crossbench support.
The House of Representatives crossbench includes the Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie, Green Adam Bandt and independents Cathy McGowan, Andrew Wilkie and Bob Katter.
Mr Katter said he and Ms Sharkie would have enormous authority if the Government
THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER IS QUALIFIED TO SIT IN THIS HOUSE AND THE HIGH COURT WILL SO HOLD. PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM TURNBULL
lost its majority. “If the Liberals act like a bunch of dingoes – Rebekha Sharkie and I will have potentially enormous power,’’ Mr Katter said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Joyce should stand down until the High Court determined his fate.
“The Turnbull Government is the first Government in Australian history that has had to ask the High Court whether in fact it has a majority,’’ Mr Shorten said.
Senate crossbencher Nick Xenophon said an audit of the citizenship status of all MPs and senators should be held. Senator Xenophon dismissed as a joke reports that he had travelled to the Middle East on a Greek passport.
The High Court will also consider the citizenship status of two sitting and two former senators.