‘Impressed’ Howard backs Gichuhi for Libs senate ticket

FORMER prime minister John Howard has thrown his weight behind Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi’s bid for the third position on the party’s South Australian Senate ticket at the next election.

• Leaked legal advice suggests dual citizen concerns for Gichuhi
• New dual citizenship issues rock SA senate preselection

FORMER prime minister John Howard has thrown his weight behind Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi’s bid for the third position on the party’s South Australian Senate ticket at the next election.

In a blow for Liberal Senate preselection hopeful Alex Antic, Mr Howard has provided a written reference for Senator Gichuhi.

Mr Howard said he believed Assistant Agriculture Minister Anne Ruston should be selected for the No. 1 position on the Senate ticket, Senator David Fawcett for the second place and Senator Gichuhi for the third.

Senator Lucy Gichuhi

Mr Howard’s endorsement comes after federal Attorney-General Christian Porter dismissed suggestions that Senator Gichuhi could still have citizenship of her native Kenya and therefore be ineligible to sit in Parliament.

In his reference, Mr Howard said he had met Senator Gichuhi on several occasions.

“Her intelligence and commitment to a range of political and social issues impresses me,’’ he wrote.

“Her background is atypical for senators of any political persuasion. Whilst that is not a reason of its own for her to be supported, when it is combined with these attributes, it represents a strong case for her to receive the Party’s support in a winnable position. Senator Gichuhi has strong values and beliefs, which fit comfortably within the mainstream of Liberal opinion.’’

The Senate preselection was delayed after concerns were raised that Mr Antic — a conservative Liberal — could hold Serbian citizenship.

Mr Howard is revered by the party’s conservative wing and has been a mentor to Premier Steven Marshall.

A senior SA Liberal criticised conservatives who wanted Mr Antic to be given a potentially winnable position on the Senate ticket at Senator Gichuhi’s expense.

“Howard backed Marshall because he can see the benefits of unity, so why is the Far Right determined to break up that winning formula?’’ the senior Liberal said.

Senator Gichuhi, a lawyer, grew up in a poor Kenyan village and moved to Australia with her husband and children in 1999.

Senator Gichuhi ran for the Senate as a Family First candidate in 2016. She won a special recount of ballot papers last year to replace former senator Bob Day.

Legal advice surfaced at the weekend suggesting Senator Gichuhi’s Kenyan citizenship might not have been automatically extinguished. The High Court last year dismissed a bid by Labor to challenge Senator Gichuhi’s citizenship status.