An unjust way to serve justice
SENATOR Jacquie Lambie’s parliamentary career has foundered on a contemporary “black letter” interpretation of Australia’s century- plus old Constitution.
Having been a severe critic of the anti- authoritarian, former soldier turned opportunistic, contrarian politician, some concession is appropriate.
Her resignation speech demonstrated a grace that has not always characterised her senatorial performance.
It was hard not to feel some sympathy for her plight as she showed dignity but obvious distress.
She clearly has relished her brief opportunity to express her views, however vacuous they have been.
The public affection demonstrated by her fellow senators suggested they felt she had been dealt an unfair blow.
Or perhaps a faecal sandwich, as she might have described it, though perhaps more robustly, in one of her earlier utterances.
Senator Lambie has managed to strike a sympathetic chord with many former and current ADF personnel in her brief career.
While many of her utterances would not pass detailed scrutiny, she was able to tap into a mood of deep discontent with the defence hierarchy and, more significantly, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
More tellingly she was able to do so in language those same angry veterans could understand.
The misfits who flocked to Palmer were anything but united, prospered by the political blowflies who flitted between rotting political opportunities as they sensed personal advantage
Lambie was an accidental politician whose initial success was fed by disaffection politics, in her case fostered by the mercurial Clive Palmer and his Palmer United Party.
The misfits who flocked to Palmer were anything but united, prospered by the political blowflies who flitted between rotting political opportunities as they sensed personal advantage.
PUP quickly foundered, so Lambie rebadged herself as a Tasmanian independent.
Under this new identity she survived a second senate election, although she had a significant falling out with her fellow ex- service adviser, former Queensland LNP MP and ex- RAAF corporal Rob Messenger.
Messenger deserted the LNP on a whim to become an independent and his subsequent political opportunism has been spectacularly unremarkable.
He and Lambie have since parted company and are involved in a legal dispute over the circumstances of his abrupt dismissal.
Lambie’s populist style, calling for royal commissions into whatever displeases her, provokes an enthusiastic response in her loyal defence followers.
Her aggressive Senate estimates questioning of senior ADF officers and bureaucrats feeds a responsive sympathy in some defence ranks.
She is seen by many as a champion for their grievances, although in reality she has achieved little but to nurture their frustration and anger.
There is no doubt Australia needs to pass legislation to protect the nationality of those Australia- born individuals who happen to have one parent who is captured by foreign or dual nationality.
Australian law is currently silent on this, so parliamentarians like Barnaby Joyce suddenly find themselves captured by foreign legislation they have never acknowledged.
Ironically many ADF members have also claimed dual or foreign nationality, which has not affected their service as does the constitutional interpretation for federal parliamentary service.
Lambie has declared her intention to run for office again.
Perhaps she should do so on a platform to reform this constitutional interpretation of Australian identity.