Oz Labor scoffs at conspiracy claim

OPPOSITION UNDER FIRE FOR RAISING IT Accusations fly as conservative govt will lose majority status.

Australia’s opposition Labor Party rejected claims yesterday from the country’s top diplomat that it conspired with New Zealand leftists to topple the government.

Labor’s Penny Wong accused Foreign Minister Julie Bishop of “a Kiwis under-the-bed scare campaign” to divert attention from government woes, invoking anti-communist “Reds under the beds” fears of the Cold War. The spat stems from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s revelation this week that he was a New Zealand citizen, meaning he may be forced to step down under rules barring dual nationals from sitting in Australia’s parliament. That would be a disaster for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s conservative government, which only holds a one-seat majority.

Officials in Wellington said Joyce’s status came to light after queries from Australian journalists. However, New Zealand Labour MP Chris Hipkins also admitted to asking questions about the issue last week after talks with an Australian acquaintance, Wong’s chief of staff Marcus Ganley.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Ganley’s involvement showed Wong was “up to her neck in it”, along with Labor leader Bill Shorten. Bishop stood by her allegation the New Zealand and Australian opposition parties were trying to “undermine the government of Australia”, even suggesting the plot could be global. “I’d like to know if Bill Shorten is directing his troops to ask these questions in other parliaments around the world?” she told Sky News.

Wong conceded her staffer’s actions were unwise but said they amounted to “a chat with a mate (Hipkins)” rather than a secretive attempt to bring down the government. – AFP