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Second Australian senator quits over dual citizenship | Second Australian senator quits over dual citizenship |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Australian Senator Larissa Waters has announced she will resign after learning she holds dual citizenship. | Australian Senator Larissa Waters has announced she will resign after learning she holds dual citizenship. |
Ms Waters, from the minor Greens party, was born in Canada. | |
Under Australia's constitution, a person cannot run for federal office if they hold dual or plural citizenship. | Under Australia's constitution, a person cannot run for federal office if they hold dual or plural citizenship. |
Ms Waters is the second senator since Friday to resign for having dual citizenship, following her Greens colleague, Scott Ludlam. Both were deputy leaders of the party. | Ms Waters is the second senator since Friday to resign for having dual citizenship, following her Greens colleague, Scott Ludlam. Both were deputy leaders of the party. |
In May, Ms Waters gained international attention by becoming the first politician to breastfeed in Australia's federal parliament. | |
'I was unaware' | 'I was unaware' |
Ms Waters said she only discovered her citizenship status following the case of Mr Ludlam, who had recently learned he was a New Zealand national. | Ms Waters said she only discovered her citizenship status following the case of Mr Ludlam, who had recently learned he was a New Zealand national. |
Holding back tears at a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Waters described her error as an "honest mistake". | Holding back tears at a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Waters described her error as an "honest mistake". |
"I was devastated to learn that because of 70-year-old Canadian laws I had been a dual citizen from birth, and that Canadian law changed a week after I was born and required me to have actively renounced Canadian citizenship," she said. | "I was devastated to learn that because of 70-year-old Canadian laws I had been a dual citizen from birth, and that Canadian law changed a week after I was born and required me to have actively renounced Canadian citizenship," she said. |
The senator, 40, was 11 months old when she left Canada with her Australian parents. | |
"All of this happened before I could even say my first word," she said. | "All of this happened before I could even say my first word," she said. |
However, Ms Waters, who was first elected in 2011, said she took "full responsibility". | However, Ms Waters, who was first elected in 2011, said she took "full responsibility". |
It is not yet clear whether she and Mr Ludlam will have to repay their Senate salaries and allowances. | |
"Certainly it is something that may occur and I will face it if it comes," Ms Waters said. | |
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said he was "gutted" by the resignation of Ms Waters, who had made an "enormous contribution" to Australia. | |
The party leader said he was taking immediate action to ensure the mistake would not be repeated. | |
"It has been a terrible month, there is no other way of sugar-coating it," he said. | |
According to Australia's constitution, politicians must relinquish foreign citizenships before standing for office. |