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AUTHORITIES in New Zealand have confirmed that Barnaby Joyce is indeed a citizen of their country.
It puts increased pressure on the Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader to step aside, as the matter of his apparent dual citizenship is examined by the High Court.
The shocking revelation, which Mr Joyce made in Parliament this morning, puts Malcolm Turnbull’s majority government under threat.
Labor has responded angrily to My Joyce’s declaration that on the basis of legal advice, he would carry on as Deputy PM and continue to vote on legislation in Parliament.
Opposition MP Tony Burke, the Manager for Opposition Business told Parliament Mr Joyce must step aside and not vote on legislation until the High Court had ruled on his eligibility to be elected.
The call comes as an overwhelming response to a News Corp Australia poll, participated in by several thousand people, shows Australians are split down the middle on the issue.
In an extraordinary admission today, Mr Joyce told the lower house he learnt last week that he could be a citizen of New Zealand by descent via his father.
Last Thursday afternoon the New Zealand High Commission contacted me to advise that on the basis of preliminary advice from their department of internal affairs, which had received inquiries from the New Zealand Labor Party, they considered that I may be a citizen by descent of New Zealand,” Mr Joyce told Parliament.
Needless to say, I was shocked to receive this information. I have always been an Australian citizen, born in Tamworth, just as my mother and my great-grandmother (were) born there 100 years earlier.
“Neither I, nor my parents, have ever had any reason to believe that I may be a citizen of any other country.”
Mr Joyce, who was born in Australia in 1967, said he considered himself a fifth generation Australian.
His father was born in New Zealand and came to Australia in 1947 as a British subject, as New Zealand and Australian citizenship was not officially created until 1948.
But under New Zealand law, however, Mr Joyce is considered to have automatically been a New Zealand citizen from birth.
“If you were born overseas and at least one of your parents is a New Zealand citizen by birth or grant, you are an NZ citizen by descent,” the New Zealand Government website on citizenship
and passports states.
Mr Joyce disputed this in Parliament, saying the New Zealand Government had no register legally recognising him as a citizen.
“Given the strength of the legal advice the government has received the Prime Minister has asked that I remain Deputy Prime Minister and continue my ministerial duties,” Mr Joyce told Parliament.
Mr Joyce’s case has now been referred to the High Court by Turnbull Government Minister Christopher Pyne.
While making the referral, Mr Pyne told Parliament: “It is time for the High Court to be given the opportunity to make a determination about what section 44(1) of the Constitution means in the modern era.”
“Because we are so confident of the deputy prime minister’s status, he will continue fully, fully as the Member for New England, participating in the House and as the deputy prime minister and the
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources,” he said.
reasurer Scott Morrison has downplayed the threat to the Turnbull Government’s majority.
“You don’t leap to conclusions about this and you do what is appropriate and that is what the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister has done,” Mr Morrison told reporters at Parliament.
“You simply take the next step. It doesn’t distract the Government from what we are focused on.”
There are also fresh questions over the citizenship status of Labor MPs, including Anthony Albanese and Tasmanian MP Justine Keay.
At a press conference in Canberra this morning, Mr Albanese denied there were any question marks over his status.
“The circumstances of my birth is that I had a single parent, there is a single parent legally on my birth certificate, that was my mother who was born ... in the same hospital in which I was born in Darlinghurst (in Sydney),” he said
Her parents were both born here. Their parents were all born here as well.”
Ms Keay’s eligibility is in doubt as she only received confirmation that her UK citizenship had been renounced on July 11 last year, a week after the federal election.
But as she had written to the UK Home Office renouncing her British citizenship on May 23 and the form was received on May 31, she might be covered under the requirement that candidates for election make “all reasonable steps” to renounce their dual citizenship.
The latest saga comes after two Greens MPs resigned over holding dual citizenship, and Nationals MP and Cabinet Minister Matt Canavan and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts were referred to the High Court.
he Prime Minister has written to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten today to invite him to “nominate any Labor members of senators whose circumstances may raise questions”.
The office of Queensland Liberal MP Bert van Manen, who is automatically eligible for Dutch citizenship by descent, confirmed to News Corp Australia his citizenship would not be referred to the High Court.
Mr van Manen had received confirmation from Dutch authorities that he did not hold citizenship.
Another Liberal MP, Jason Falinski, has also confirmed that he is not a dual citizen by descent.
Mr Falinski confirmed with Polish authorities last month that he did not hold citizenship.
A TIMELINE OF CHAOS
Greens deputy leader, Senator Scott Ludlam resigned on July 14. He had dual citizenship of Australia and New Zealand.
Under section 44 of the constitution, that makes him ineligible to hold elected office.
Greens deputy leader Senator Larissa Waters had to quit a few days on July 18. She is a dual Canadian citizen.
Coalition MP Resources Minister Matthew Canavan quit on July 25. His mother had applied for Italian citizenship for her son and herself in 2006 without his knowledge.
One Nation has referred Senator Malcolm Roberts to the High Court for a decision on whether he was a dual British and Australian citizen when he nominated for Parliament.
http://www.news.com.au/national/pol...t/news-story/68bfb48953c7cc314a03e6ba99873e4c
It puts increased pressure on the Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader to step aside, as the matter of his apparent dual citizenship is examined by the High Court.
The shocking revelation, which Mr Joyce made in Parliament this morning, puts Malcolm Turnbull’s majority government under threat.
Labor has responded angrily to My Joyce’s declaration that on the basis of legal advice, he would carry on as Deputy PM and continue to vote on legislation in Parliament.
Opposition MP Tony Burke, the Manager for Opposition Business told Parliament Mr Joyce must step aside and not vote on legislation until the High Court had ruled on his eligibility to be elected.
The call comes as an overwhelming response to a News Corp Australia poll, participated in by several thousand people, shows Australians are split down the middle on the issue.
In an extraordinary admission today, Mr Joyce told the lower house he learnt last week that he could be a citizen of New Zealand by descent via his father.
Last Thursday afternoon the New Zealand High Commission contacted me to advise that on the basis of preliminary advice from their department of internal affairs, which had received inquiries from the New Zealand Labor Party, they considered that I may be a citizen by descent of New Zealand,” Mr Joyce told Parliament.
Needless to say, I was shocked to receive this information. I have always been an Australian citizen, born in Tamworth, just as my mother and my great-grandmother (were) born there 100 years earlier.
“Neither I, nor my parents, have ever had any reason to believe that I may be a citizen of any other country.”
Mr Joyce, who was born in Australia in 1967, said he considered himself a fifth generation Australian.
His father was born in New Zealand and came to Australia in 1947 as a British subject, as New Zealand and Australian citizenship was not officially created until 1948.
But under New Zealand law, however, Mr Joyce is considered to have automatically been a New Zealand citizen from birth.
“If you were born overseas and at least one of your parents is a New Zealand citizen by birth or grant, you are an NZ citizen by descent,” the New Zealand Government website on citizenship
and passports states.
Mr Joyce disputed this in Parliament, saying the New Zealand Government had no register legally recognising him as a citizen.
“Given the strength of the legal advice the government has received the Prime Minister has asked that I remain Deputy Prime Minister and continue my ministerial duties,” Mr Joyce told Parliament.
Mr Joyce’s case has now been referred to the High Court by Turnbull Government Minister Christopher Pyne.
While making the referral, Mr Pyne told Parliament: “It is time for the High Court to be given the opportunity to make a determination about what section 44(1) of the Constitution means in the modern era.”
“Because we are so confident of the deputy prime minister’s status, he will continue fully, fully as the Member for New England, participating in the House and as the deputy prime minister and the
Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources,” he said.
reasurer Scott Morrison has downplayed the threat to the Turnbull Government’s majority.
“You don’t leap to conclusions about this and you do what is appropriate and that is what the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister has done,” Mr Morrison told reporters at Parliament.
“You simply take the next step. It doesn’t distract the Government from what we are focused on.”
There are also fresh questions over the citizenship status of Labor MPs, including Anthony Albanese and Tasmanian MP Justine Keay.
At a press conference in Canberra this morning, Mr Albanese denied there were any question marks over his status.
“The circumstances of my birth is that I had a single parent, there is a single parent legally on my birth certificate, that was my mother who was born ... in the same hospital in which I was born in Darlinghurst (in Sydney),” he said
Her parents were both born here. Their parents were all born here as well.”
Ms Keay’s eligibility is in doubt as she only received confirmation that her UK citizenship had been renounced on July 11 last year, a week after the federal election.
But as she had written to the UK Home Office renouncing her British citizenship on May 23 and the form was received on May 31, she might be covered under the requirement that candidates for election make “all reasonable steps” to renounce their dual citizenship.
The latest saga comes after two Greens MPs resigned over holding dual citizenship, and Nationals MP and Cabinet Minister Matt Canavan and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts were referred to the High Court.
he Prime Minister has written to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten today to invite him to “nominate any Labor members of senators whose circumstances may raise questions”.
The office of Queensland Liberal MP Bert van Manen, who is automatically eligible for Dutch citizenship by descent, confirmed to News Corp Australia his citizenship would not be referred to the High Court.
Mr van Manen had received confirmation from Dutch authorities that he did not hold citizenship.
Another Liberal MP, Jason Falinski, has also confirmed that he is not a dual citizen by descent.
Mr Falinski confirmed with Polish authorities last month that he did not hold citizenship.
A TIMELINE OF CHAOS
Greens deputy leader, Senator Scott Ludlam resigned on July 14. He had dual citizenship of Australia and New Zealand.
Under section 44 of the constitution, that makes him ineligible to hold elected office.
Greens deputy leader Senator Larissa Waters had to quit a few days on July 18. She is a dual Canadian citizen.
Coalition MP Resources Minister Matthew Canavan quit on July 25. His mother had applied for Italian citizenship for her son and herself in 2006 without his knowledge.
One Nation has referred Senator Malcolm Roberts to the High Court for a decision on whether he was a dual British and Australian citizen when he nominated for Parliament.
http://www.news.com.au/national/pol...t/news-story/68bfb48953c7cc314a03e6ba99873e4c
