Calls grow to test MPs’ eligibility
AUSTRALIA: Senior Australian government members and the Labor Party have poured cold water on calls for a ‘‘citizenship audit’’ of all MPs, after Senate President Stephen Parry became the eighth person embroiled in the scandal.
Parry, a member of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal party, said he would submit his resignation today after being told that along with his Australian citizenship, he also held British citizenship by descent.
Parry’s father was born in Britain before moving to Australia as a boy in 1951.
His resignation follows last week’s High Court ruling that the deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, was ineligible to sit in parliament, as he held dual AustraliaNew Zealand citizenship when elected. Joyce has since relinquished his New Zealand citizenship and will re-contest his seat in a December by-election.
The ruling meant the government lost its one-seat majority in the lower house and must now rely on independents for its political survival.
The Greens have the backing of some Labor and coalition backbenchers for an audit, which would involve all MPs providing proof of their Australian-only citizenship to an independent body.
Acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop said yesterday all MPs had a personal responsibility to ensure they were eligible to stand for parliament. ‘‘We now have a High Court decision which clarifies Section 44 (of the constitution), and every person has responsibility to ensure they’re eligible.’’
Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie added: ‘‘It’s not the job of parliament to go doublechecking on people.’’
Former minister Eric Abetz said the fact that Parry had discovered after the court ruling that he had a potential problem showed the need for more checks.
‘‘I understand my government colleagues are not of a mind for an audit, but I do think that the matter does need to be clarified.’’
Labor backbencher Meryl Swanson also backed an audit, saying it was not good enough to allow some MPs to sit back after the court decision and say ‘‘phew, we dodged that’’.
However, acting Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said the simplest way of addressing the issue was for every MP and candidate to follow the rules.
‘‘What amazes me is every member hasn’t double-checked for themselves, and that is the extraordinary thing about the revelation of Stephen Parry.’’
Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who wants an audit, said he believed there was ‘‘a huge shadow over parliament’’ destroying the Australian people’s faith in democracy.
‘‘We’re entering constitutional crisis territory here. I think people rightly want to see this issue resolved once and for all.’’
Di Natale, who is proposing that the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority run the audit, has accused Turnbull of acting with a ‘‘complete lack of integrity’’ in handling the mess.