Senator Lambie resigns
HIGH-PROFILE Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has quit federal Parliament after confirming she is a dual citizen.
“I didn’t think I actually had a problem with it, so I never gave it a second thought,” she told LAFM radio in Launceston yesterday of her newlyconfirmed status as a UK citizenship by descent.
Senator Lambie submitted her letter of resignation shortly before question time yesterday.
The senator, elected initially to parliament as a member of the now-defunct Palmer United Party in 2013 and subsequently as an independent in 2016, is the daughter and granddaughter of Scottish citizens.
“I love my father to death and hope to not blame him for this,” she told parliament.
“He has done nothing for which to apologise and he has been my strongest supporter, my loudest cheer squad and my closest adviser.”
The indigenous-identifying crossbencher has previously expressed pride in her Scottish heritage but insisted she was not a dual citizen.
Senator Lambie indicated a return to politics might be on the agenda, but didn’t specify whether that would be at a federal level.
Senator Lambie’s replacement in the Upper House will be determined by the High Court. Steve Martin was next on the Jacqui Lambie Network Senate ticket at the 2016 election, but there are doubts about his eligibility to sit in parliament.