More high-profile politicians face serious dual citizenship questions

SEVERAL high-profile politicians including Tanya Plibersek and Penny Wong still face serious dual citizenship questions after Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce’s bombshell revelation he’s a Kiwi.

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SEVERAL high-profile politicians still face serious dual citizenship questions.

But Penny Wong, Julia Banks, Tanya Plibersek and Tony Pasin have all so far failed to produce documents proving they are only Australian.

Penny Wong

Tanya Plibersek

Liberal MP Ms Banks has relied on a statement from the Greek embassy to dismiss concerns over her citizenship.

But her father is from Greece and, under Greek law, a child receives citizenship automatically. Ms Banks has not released any documentation showing she renounced Greek citizenship.

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Ms Wong, whose father was born in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, has also refused to release the proof that she renounced her Malaysian citizenship. Under the Malaysian constitution, a formal application needs to be made to the Ministry of Interior to renounce citizenship.

Julia Banks with PM Malcolm Turnbull

“I was well aware when I stood for parliament I would have to renounce any rights I may have had to Malaysian citizenship and did so prior to nominating, as is confirmed in the statement by the ALP national secretary,” Ms Wong told The Daily Telegraph yesterday, yet still refused to release the documentary proof.

Labor’s Justine Keay, who was a British citizen, revealed early this month she only received confirmation she had renounced her citizenship after last year’s federal election. But she said she had taken “all reasonable steps” to renounce and was confident there would be no issue with her citizenship.

Susan Lamb

Maria Vamvakinou

Liberal MP Tony Pasin with wife Fiona and daughter Bella.

Others who have been questioned but not clarified their position include Labor MPs Susan Lamb, whose father was born in Scotland, Maria Vamvakinou, who was born in Greece, and Tony Zappia, born in Italy.

Liberal MP Tony Pasin also refused to release documents showing he has relinquished any Italian citizenship when The Daily Telegraph contacted him last month.