Turnbull to go ahead with Israel visit after citizenship crisis — so who’s running the country?

THE prime minister is about to head off to Israel and the deputy PM’s been dumped. The big question now is: who’s in charge of things around here?

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will head off for Israel in the wake of the citizenship scandal. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

MALCOLM Turnbull is expected to put concerns over the legitimacy of his government behind him and go ahead with a trip to Israel next week.

Despite the High Court disqualifying two of his ministers, triggering a by-election, the prime minister is making the first trip to Israel by an Australian leader since 2000.

Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop will be acting prime minister while Mr Turnbull is overseas, the prime minister confirmed.

The foreign minister will fill the role instead of Nigel Scullion, who is acting parliamentary leader of the Nationals while Barnaby Joyce recontests his seat of New England after his expulsion from parliament.

Mr Turnbull will on Saturday leave for Israel, where he will attend the commemorations of the centenary of the Battle of Beersheba.

Former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce is back on the campaign trail after the High Court found him ineligible to sit in parliament due to a breach of citizenship laws. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Earlier on Saturday, Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said the coalition government was in “chaos”.

“What an extraordinary situation that the Prime Minister cannot decide who should be the acting Prime Minister while he is away. This is chaos,” she told reporters on Saturday morning.

“This kind of uncertainty should not exist in a country like Australia.

“You have people fighting over who will take [former Nationals deputy leader] Fiona Nash’s spot in the Senate, you have presumably all sorts of jockeying behind the scenes as to who will be acting Prime Minister, the problem with this government is that they are always governing for the internals.

“Who is thinking about the country? Who is governing the country?”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addresses the media at Parliament House after the High Court handed down its decision on Friday. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Mr Joyce now faces a December 2 by-election in his NSW seat of New England, which he is widely expected to win with his archrival Tony Windsor pulling out. But he won’t be returning to parliament before February next year. The government will need to tread carefully as its numbers will be temporarily reduced to 75 in the 150-seat parliament.

Independent Cathy McGowan indicated on Friday she would support the government against any vote of no-confidence and for supply, but gave no guarantees on bills.

Labor says it’s not planning any mischief in parliament, but cited weekend penalty rates and a royal commission into the banking sector — two issues it lost by one vote previously — as issues it would pursue when the House of Representatives returns on November 27.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan has returned to cabinet as resources minister after the court ruled he was not disqualified for election.

Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash was one of five ministers disqualified by the High Court. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Turnbull told reporters the business of government would go on.

The court also disqualified former Greens senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters and One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts, but not independent Nick Xenophon.

Section 44 of Australia’s constitution bans anyone holding dual citizenship from sitting in parliament, in a section aimed at ensuring MPs do not hold split allegiances.

Labor says the prime minister was “reckless” in allowing Mr Joyce and Senator Nash to retain their cabinet posts while the court decided their fate. Labor has advice that decisions made by the two ministers and their colleague Senator Canavan since October 2016 could be challenged in court under section 64 of the constitution.

The section provides that “no minister of state shall hold office for a longer period than three months unless he is or becomes a senator or member of the House of Representatives”.