Matt Canavan: Turnbull minister quits cabinet over dual citizenship
BREAKING: Turnbull Government Resources Minister Matt Canavan has stood aside from Cabinet after discovering his mum signed him up for Italian citizenship.
NSW
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- Senator Matt Canavan’s citizenship questioned
- Greens deputy Scott Ludlam has been exposed as a fake senator
“IT’S my mum’s fault”: Turnbull Government Resources Minister Matt Canavan has stood aside from Cabinet after discovering his mum signed him up for Italian citizenship.
The Nationals Senator said his Australian-born mother, whose parents were both born in Italy, applied for him to become an Italian citizen in 2006, when he was 25.
The Government is seeking advice from the Solicitor General as to whether Mr Canavan is a dual citizen, given the Italian citizenship was obtained without his knowledge or consent.
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Mr Canavan was born on the Gold Coast and grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Logan. He said he has never visited Italy or stepped foot inside an Italian consulate.
Fronting the media, Mr Canavan said his mum contacted him with the news that he was an Italian citizen after the citizenship scandal that saw the resignation of two Greens senators, Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters.
“While I knew that my mother had become an Italian citizen, I had no knowledge that myself had become an Italian citizen, nor had I requested to become an Italian citizen,” he said.
Senator @mattjcan & I disagree on almost everything, especially #Adani, but my heart goes out to him, family & staff with dual citizen news
— Larissa Waters (@larissawaters) July 25, 2017
“My mother raised with me the possibility that I was in fact an Italian citizen on Tuesday. I have since then taken steps to check my citizenship status with the Italian authorities and that has confirmed that I was registered as an Italian citizen in January 2007.”
The Italian authorities had confirmed, Mr Canavan said, that the application was not signed by him and he has received no correspondence about it.
He is now seeking to obtain legal advice as to whether his Italian citizenship is valid under Italian law, given it was applied for without his consent or knowledge.
“It is not my intention to resign from the senate,” he said.
“However given the uncertainty around this matter, I will stand aside until the matter is finally resolved and reign as the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia.”
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Senator Ludlam discovered he held New Zealand citizenship after a constitutional law expert in WA unearthed documentation from the New Zealand authorities.
Senator Waters, meanwhile, discovered she was still a Canadian citizen, despite moving to Australia at 11 months old.
Full text of statement issued by Matthew Canavan
In 2006, my mother lodged documents with the Italian consulate in Brisbane to become an Italian citizen. In doing so, it would appear that she made an application for me to become an Italian citizen as well. I was 25 years old at the time.
While I knew that my mother had become an Italian citizen I had no knowledge that I myself had become an Italian citizen. Until last week I had no suspicion that I could be an Italian citizen. I was not born in Italy and have never been to Italy.
Following the reporting of Senator Ludlum and Senator Waters, my mother raised with me the possibility that I was an Italian citizen last week.
The Italian authorities have confirmed that the application for Italian citizenship was not signed by me. To my knowledge I have not received any correspondence from Italian authorities about my citizenship status, and they have not been able to provide any such records.
In the short time available I have not been able to obtain definitive legal advice as to whether my registration as an Italian citizen, without my knowledge or consent, was valid under Italian law. I am seeking to obtain that advice presently.
On the basis of the advice the Government has obtained it is not my intention to resign from the Senate.
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