SKYE FALLS IN CITIZENSHIP POLLIE FARCE
THE Australian Parliament is bracing for more referrals to the High Court after South Australian senator Skye Kakoschke- Moore became the ninth MP to resign for being a dual citizen.
Senator Kakoschke- Moore, a member of the Nick Xenophon Team, resigned from parliament after discovering she was a British citizen by descent.
A December 5 deadline for MPs to disclose any dual citizenship concerns has the Turnbull Government and Opposition expecting more members to follow.
The Government has already endured four of its MPs being dismissed over their citizenship, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Bennelong MP John Alexander, who are fighting byelections.
Up to four Labor MPs face questions over whether they were dual citizens before being elected to parliament.
There are also questions over another NXT member – Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie – after her UK citizenship was not formally renounced until after nominations for 2016 election.
The Government yesterday renewed its call for MPs who have concerns about their citizenship to refer themselves to the High Court.
Senator Kakoschke- Moore, who was told she was a British citizen by the UK Home Office last Friday, said she would quit the Senate immediately and refer herself to the High Court.
The senator’s mother was born in Singapore at the time it was a British colony, which makes her a UK citizen, and possibly ineligible under section 44 of the constitution.
Senators have until December 1, and House of Representatives members have a deadline of December 5, to disclose details of their family history and any dual citizenship renunciation.