Turnbull hits out at 'snipers' and says no Liberals have a case to answer on citizenship

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/07/turnbull-hits-out-at-snipers-and-says-no-liberals-have-a-case-to-answer-on-citizenship

Version 0 of 5.

Malcolm Turnbull is continuing to claim no Liberals have any questions to answer about dual citizenships and he has fobbed off a question about internal dissent, saying he is focused on getting things done.

During an interview marking the conclusion of the parliamentary sittings for 2017, Turnbull told the ABC Labor had “produced no evidence – not even an argument” that any member of the government was ineligible to sit in the parliament.

Continuing in combative mode, the prime minister pointedly declined to credit Labor with working cooperatively to achieve Thursday’s historic parliamentary vote to legalise same-sex marriage, blasted the ABC for its reporting of competing arguments in the citizenship imbroglio and Turnbull told his interviewer, Leigh Sales, that she would have to ask his internal critics why they “snipe”.

“You’d have to ask, ah, the snipers, I suppose, why they snipe,” the prime minister said. “Look, you know something? I focus on getting things done. I focus on delivering a thousand jobs a day.”

Turnbull said despite the regular queries about his team not being onside, the team had done “an amazing job”, delivering childcare reform, tax reform, national security reform and resolving the national energy guarantee.

“It’s a very, very long list of achievements that we have got done despite our many failings, which you remind me of from time to time, and, of course, the fact that we don’t have a majority in the Senate,” he said.

The interview followed a hectic final day in parliament in which marriage equality was legislated and the government introduced a much telegraphed package of legislation designed to minimise the risks of foreign interference in Australia’s political system.

Legal experts warned on Thursday that part of the new package, a proposal to ban foreign donations, would likely end up in the high court, because it might offend the implied right of political communication.

The Nationals also created a headache for the prime minister by selecting a new deputy leader, Bridget McKenzie, who is not currently in cabinet.

This development means Turnbull will have to use a reshuffle expected on 17 December to either dump one of the existing Nationals frontbenchers to accommodate McKenzie, or expand the frontbench.

The attorney general, George Brandis, has already confirmed that Peter Dutton will be sworn in as home affairs minister on 17 December, and Turnbull also needs to use the reshuffle to replace the special minister of state, Scott Ryan, who has departed to be the new Senate president.

But while widespread speculation persists that Brandis will exit the Turnbull ministry at the time of the reshuffle, bound for a government appointment, the attorney general told Sky News earlier this week that his “intention” was to remain where he was.

The government is also hanging on the result of a byelection due in Bennelong on 16 December, to see if the Liberal John Alexander can hold on to the seat he won at the last election by a margin of just under 10%.

The government will also bring an official end to the political year by delivering the midyear economic and fiscal outlook, the budget update, on 18 December.