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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Coalition’s citizenship nightmare demands an audit – but is Turnbull that brave? | |
| (3 months later) | |
| It is obvious an audit should happen. But can it, when Turnbull faces trouble everywhere he looks and Joyce is not yet safely back in the parliament? | |
| Katharine Murphy Political editor | |
| Wed 1 Nov 2017 08.05 GMT | |
| Last modified on Wed 1 Nov 2017 16.08 GMT | |
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| Consider the current set of circumstances facing Malcolm Turnbull. | Consider the current set of circumstances facing Malcolm Turnbull. |
| The government’s citizenship nightmare has taken a new twist, claiming now a Liberal scalp and a significant one: the president of the Senate, who, frankly, should have known better and acted sooner. | The government’s citizenship nightmare has taken a new twist, claiming now a Liberal scalp and a significant one: the president of the Senate, who, frankly, should have known better and acted sooner. |
| The prime minister is out of the country. Acting in the role is Julie Bishop, who is the subject of low level “here’s Julie’s time to shine” talk internally. Shine on, Julie, you good thing. | The prime minister is out of the country. Acting in the role is Julie Bishop, who is the subject of low level “here’s Julie’s time to shine” talk internally. Shine on, Julie, you good thing. |
| Barnaby Joyce, who has taken to referring to himself as “citizen Joyce”, having been binned by the high court, is now asking the electors of New England (who frankly seem confused about the whole mess) to send him back to Canberra. | Barnaby Joyce, who has taken to referring to himself as “citizen Joyce”, having been binned by the high court, is now asking the electors of New England (who frankly seem confused about the whole mess) to send him back to Canberra. |
| Relations between the Coalition partners, the Liberals and the Nationals, are all bent out of shape courtesy of the conflagrations over the past few months. | Relations between the Coalition partners, the Liberals and the Nationals, are all bent out of shape courtesy of the conflagrations over the past few months. |
| Citizen Joyce is now feeling liberated enough to give his Liberal colleagues a bit of life coaching, and bolshie enough to do it publicly, given that sort of editorialising goes down a treat in New England. | Citizen Joyce is now feeling liberated enough to give his Liberal colleagues a bit of life coaching, and bolshie enough to do it publicly, given that sort of editorialising goes down a treat in New England. |
| So having laid out the various difficulties facing Turnbull let’s just cut to the chase: what a complete balls up. | So having laid out the various difficulties facing Turnbull let’s just cut to the chase: what a complete balls up. |
| The government bus is going around hairpin bends on two wheels. | The government bus is going around hairpin bends on two wheels. |
| Given Stephen Parry is the seventh senator to experience an unseemly collision with the constitution, it is clear there should be a full audit of parliamentarians to ensure they are eligible to serve. | Given Stephen Parry is the seventh senator to experience an unseemly collision with the constitution, it is clear there should be a full audit of parliamentarians to ensure they are eligible to serve. |
| It’s just obvious this should happen. | It’s just obvious this should happen. |
| A bunch of parliamentarians are now arguing publicly that this should happen. | A bunch of parliamentarians are now arguing publicly that this should happen. |
| But can it happen in circumstances where a government hangs by a thread in one chamber, where Turnbull faces trouble everywhere you look and Joyce is not yet safely back in the parliament? | But can it happen in circumstances where a government hangs by a thread in one chamber, where Turnbull faces trouble everywhere you look and Joyce is not yet safely back in the parliament? |
| The public interest says do it, have the audit, for the clarity and the certainty – but is the prime minister that brave? | The public interest says do it, have the audit, for the clarity and the certainty – but is the prime minister that brave? |
| Australian politics | |
| Liberal party | |
| Coalition | |
| Malcolm Turnbull | |
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