Former Nationals minister Matt Canavan and Nick Xenophon are safe.<\/p>\n
EARLIER…<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, cabinet colleague Fiona Nash, former minister Matt Canavan, former Greens senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts and crossbencher Nick Xenophon were referred to the High Court over their dual citizenship.<\/p>\n
Australia’s constitution bans anyone holding dual citizenship from sitting in parliament, in a section aimed at ensuring MPs do not hold split allegiances.<\/p>\n
The disqualification of Mr Joyce will not only trigger a by-election in his regional NSW seat of New England, but Labor says there will also be legal questions over ministerial decisions by him and senators Nash and Canavan.<\/p>\n
The Nationals leader is widely expected to win a by-election but it will be a concern for the government, which has held on to power by one seat since the 2016 election.<\/p>\n
With Malcolm Turnbull heading to Israel, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will step into the acting prime minister role if Mr Joyce is disqualified.<\/p>\n
The government argues the constitutional phrase “is a subject or citizen … of a foreign power” should be seen to refer only to a person who has voluntarily obtained, or retained, that status.<\/p>\n
Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue argued it was reasonable that where a person had no knowledge they ever were a foreign citizen, they should not need to take any steps to renounce their citizenship.<\/p>\n
Ms Waters and Mr Ludlam have already resigned from parliament over their dual citizenship by birth in Canada and New Zealand, respectively.<\/p>\n
India-born One Nation senator Roberts was found by the High Court in September not to have properly renounced his UK citizenship by descent – through his Welsh father – at the time of his 2016 election nomination.<\/p>\n
Mr Joyce and senators Canavan, Nash and Xenophon were born in Australia but were made citizens by descent.<\/p>\n
Senator Xenophon, who found himself to have British citizenship by descent, will leave parliament whatever happens, to contest the South Australian state election in March 2018.<\/p>\n
-With AAP<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" UPDATE, 1.49pm — Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has been ruled ineligibly elected by the High Court. Fiona Nash, Malcolm Roberts, Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters are also ineligible. Former Nationals minister Matt Canavan and Nick Xenophon are safe. EARLIER… Seven former and current members of parliament with citizenship questions over their heads will find out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[],"geo_market":[],"class_list":["post-13295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n