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| Turnbull faces fraught week as citizenship threatens to derail government | Turnbull faces fraught week as citizenship threatens to derail government |
| (14 days later) | |
| The Turnbull government is facing another fraught week in politics after the citizenship saga threatened to explode on the weekend. | The Turnbull government is facing another fraught week in politics after the citizenship saga threatened to explode on the weekend. |
| The Senate is expected to elect a replacement for former Liberal senate president Stephen Parry on Monday, after Parry admitted two weeks ago, in an embarrassing episode for the government, that he held British citizenship by descent. | The Senate is expected to elect a replacement for former Liberal senate president Stephen Parry on Monday, after Parry admitted two weeks ago, in an embarrassing episode for the government, that he held British citizenship by descent. |
| Since Parry’s shock announcement, National senators Ian MacDonald and John ‘Wacka’ Williams have put their hands up for the role, leading to tension with their Liberal colleagues, who would prefer one of their own to replace Parry. | Since Parry’s shock announcement, National senators Ian MacDonald and John ‘Wacka’ Williams have put their hands up for the role, leading to tension with their Liberal colleagues, who would prefer one of their own to replace Parry. |
| The Senate will also swear-in three new senators this week, with One Nation’s Fraser Anning (replacing Malcolm Roberts), and the Greens’ Jordon Steele-John (replacing Scott Ludlam) and Andrew Bartlett (replacing Larissa Waters), joining parliament as the first of a group of accidental beneficiaries of the rolling citizenship saga. | The Senate will also swear-in three new senators this week, with One Nation’s Fraser Anning (replacing Malcolm Roberts), and the Greens’ Jordon Steele-John (replacing Scott Ludlam) and Andrew Bartlett (replacing Larissa Waters), joining parliament as the first of a group of accidental beneficiaries of the rolling citizenship saga. |
| Malcolm Turnbull will return on Wednesday from his tour of Asia, including the Asean meeting in the Philippines, just hours before the Bureau of Statistics will declare the result of the same sex marriage postal survey. | Malcolm Turnbull will return on Wednesday from his tour of Asia, including the Asean meeting in the Philippines, just hours before the Bureau of Statistics will declare the result of the same sex marriage postal survey. |
| The government may also announce a by-election date for the Sydney seat of Bennelong this week. | The government may also announce a by-election date for the Sydney seat of Bennelong this week. |
| The by-election is necessary after Liberal MP John Alexander announced his intention on Saturday to resign from parliament, saying he no longer had sufficient certainty that he was a sole Australian citizen after checking with the British Home Office. | The by-election is necessary after Liberal MP John Alexander announced his intention on Saturday to resign from parliament, saying he no longer had sufficient certainty that he was a sole Australian citizen after checking with the British Home Office. |
| Alexander’s resignation triggered a snap byelection, and cost the increasingly precarious Turnbull government its lower house majority. Labor has already announced it will be running a candidate in Bennelong , but says it is too early to say who its candidate will be. | Alexander’s resignation triggered a snap byelection, and cost the increasingly precarious Turnbull government its lower house majority. Labor has already announced it will be running a candidate in Bennelong , but says it is too early to say who its candidate will be. |
| The government will also be facing an increased threat from the Labor party to take the political argument over citizenship to nuclear levels. | The government will also be facing an increased threat from the Labor party to take the political argument over citizenship to nuclear levels. |
| Senior Liberal Christopher Pyne warned on the weekend that the Turnbull government would “definitely” start referring Labor MPs with a question mark over their citizenship status to the high court soon if the opposition did not start referring its own MPs. | Senior Liberal Christopher Pyne warned on the weekend that the Turnbull government would “definitely” start referring Labor MPs with a question mark over their citizenship status to the high court soon if the opposition did not start referring its own MPs. |
| He said the Coalition had done the right thing with its own MPs, and Australians needed to be certain that all politicians serving in Parliament House in Canberra were “sitting there legitimately”. | He said the Coalition had done the right thing with its own MPs, and Australians needed to be certain that all politicians serving in Parliament House in Canberra were “sitting there legitimately”. |
| Labor countered by threatening to “go nuclear” and directly target five government MPs - Julia Banks, Nola Marino, Alex Hawke, Tony Pasin and Ann Sudmalis - if the Coalition referred any Labor MPs to the high court. | Labor countered by threatening to “go nuclear” and directly target five government MPs - Julia Banks, Nola Marino, Alex Hawke, Tony Pasin and Ann Sudmalis - if the Coalition referred any Labor MPs to the high court. |
| Labor said its internal research showed there was compelling evidence against those MPs, while other Coalition MPs, including Jason Falinski, Bert Van Manen, Michael Sukkar, and Luke Hartsukyer, could also come under pressure. | Labor said its internal research showed there was compelling evidence against those MPs, while other Coalition MPs, including Jason Falinski, Bert Van Manen, Michael Sukkar, and Luke Hartsukyer, could also come under pressure. |
| Turnbull, who is in Asia, claimed on Sunday that government whip Nola Marino had nothing to worry about regarding her possible Italian citizenship (by marriage), because that matter had been dealt with in the case of Nationals senator Matt Canavan. | Turnbull, who is in Asia, claimed on Sunday that government whip Nola Marino had nothing to worry about regarding her possible Italian citizenship (by marriage), because that matter had been dealt with in the case of Nationals senator Matt Canavan. |
| But Labor senator Penny Wong said Turnbull was wrong on that point. | But Labor senator Penny Wong said Turnbull was wrong on that point. |
| “The high court considered Italian citizenship by descent, not citizenship by marriage and a number of experts have stated that citizenship by marriage is automatic,” she said in a statement. | “The high court considered Italian citizenship by descent, not citizenship by marriage and a number of experts have stated that citizenship by marriage is automatic,” she said in a statement. |
| “He is covering up for Nola Marino just like he and his ministers covered up for Stephen Parry. | “He is covering up for Nola Marino just like he and his ministers covered up for Stephen Parry. |
| “If this is his really his only defence, then this case needs to be referred to the high court,” she said. | “If this is his really his only defence, then this case needs to be referred to the high court,” she said. |