Dual citizenship saga: Malcolm Turnbull digs in against full audit
MALCOLM Turnbull has rejected a citizenship audit of MPs as “a sort of lynch mob, witch-hunt, trial by innuendo and denunciation” despite growing support for an inquiry.
NSW
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- MPs call for full citizenship audit
- Opinion: Citizenship audit would bring its own set of problems
- Barnaby Joyce said other dual citizens ‘probably’ in Parliament
MALCOLM Turnbull has rejected a citizenship audit of MPs as “a sort of lynch mob, witch-hunt, trial by innuendo and denunciation” despite growing support for an inquiry.
The Prime Minister appeared increasingly isolated yesterday as Labor reversed its outright opposition and even former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said he could change his mind and support a review.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called for “universal disclosure to the Parliament” to deal with the dual citizenship crisis.
Mr Joyce suggested he could back an audit after a number of National MPs broke ranks to urge such a move.
“I’m not calling for an audit yet (but) I might change my mind down the track,” Mr Joyce told The Saturday Telegraph yesterday.
He said Labor needed to back its new position by producing paperwork proving a number of its own MPs were not dual citizens.
“They don’t have to even show it to the public; show it to the Telegraph.”
Mr Turnbull arrived back in the country after a trip to Israel with the growing citizenship furore threatening to engulf his leadership.
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is the latest Liberal under a cloud, rejecting suggestions he could be a dual Hungarian citizen by descent.
Mr Frydenberg said he made inquiries “months ago” and was reassured by the Hungarian embassy he was not a citizen.
Former defence minister Kevin Andrews, one of half a dozen Coalition MPs supporting an audit, yesterday described Mr Turnbull as “the leader at the moment”.
“There’s no mood or appetite ... for yet another change,” he said. “But we’ve got to show some leadership and reflect the concerns and frustrations of the people of Australia.”
A clearly angry Mr Turnbull told a media conference late yesterday that an audit would resolve nothing and said parliamentarians should dob in colleagues who were hiding dual citizenship.
“It is for the senators and members to satisfy themselves that they are in compliance,” he said.
“If other members and senators believe one of their colleagues is not conforming ... with the Constitution, then they have the ability to stand up and move that somebody be referred to the High Court.”
Mr Andrews and his Coalition colleagues Eric Abetz, Llew O’Brien, Craig Kelly and Andrew Broad are backing an audit, while Ian Macdonald is also open to an inquiry.
Attorney-General George Brandis was forced to deny rumours that former senator Stephen Parry had confided in him about his eligibility after Communications Minister Mitch Fifield conceded Mr Parry had mentioned his fears “a few weeks ago”.
Senator Brandis said that Mr Parry told him on Monday morning, while Mr Turnbull was informed of the situation on Tuesday.