Australian Politics live: Bill Shorten reveals proof of citizenship status
Bill Shorten has tabled proof of his citizenship after continued attacks from the government.
Australian Politics Live: that’s where we’ll leave the blog today.
Dual citizenship and the energy debate were on the domestic agenda as parliament returned for a four-day sitting week after a fortnight’s break, but alarming events in North Korea dominate. Here’s how the day in Canberra played out.
Top stories:
• Bill Shorten proves he rescinded his British citizenship before being elected in 20007.
• Richard Di Natale has raised concerns about ‘conservative doctors’
• New questions have been raised over Senator Katy Gallagher’s citizenship
• Labor has again backed a plan to put plaques on historical statues
• The government is looking to cash in on the latest Newspoll results
Rosie Lewis 4.30pm: UK squeeze
Bill Shorten may have started a trend, with another MP this afternoon releasing documentary proof she was never British.
As per my previous statement, I'm not and have never been a UK citizen. pic.twitter.com/DOC1QMJnYF
— Ann Sudmalis (@Ann_SudmalisMP) September 4, 2017
Greg Brown 4.15pm: Dump Barnaby, Shorten demands
Bill Shorten has told Malcolm Turnbull the government would lack legitimacy unless Barnaby Joyce was dumped to the backbench while his eligibility was being assessed by the High Court.
Mr Shorten delivered the warning to the Prime Minister after he caved into pressure from the government and showed documentary proof that he renounced his British citizenship before he entered parliament in 2007.
Mr Shorten tabled a document from the British Home Office in the House of Representatives showing he rescinded his dual citizenship in June 2006.
“The Deputy Prime Minister should not be allowed to serve as Acting Prime Minister. If he does the entire legitimacy of this government and this parliament is at risk,” Mr Shorten told parliament this afternoon.
“I say to the Prime Minister, do the right thing, do the honest thing, be the strong leader you claim you are, and make stand the Deputy Prime Minister stand aside.”
Mr Shorten tabled the documents after a fortnight of pressure from the government and a “show it or shut up” slogan delivered by Tony Abbott this morning.
Mr Turnbull also went after Mr Shorten today for not producing documents showing he was eligible to sit in parliament.
Mr Shorten said he did not want Australia to be distracted by the government “smear”.
“I will not allow the Prime Minister to use a smear about me as cover for the crisis which engulfs his government,” Mr Shorten said.
“This silly distraction has to end. The circus has to stop. The country does not have time for it.
“I accept that if I want to be elected Prime Minister, there cannot be any doubt about my Constitutional eligibility – pushed by the conspiracy theorists like the Prime Minister and the Member for Warringah.
“I offer this proof to the parliament today to put an end to baseless allegations, not reward them.”
Mr Shorten said that other Labor MPs should not be forced to show their documents proving they were eligible to sit in parliament, despite questions raised about the eligibility of several MPs.
“I strongly believe that MPs and Senators should not be forced to produce evidence to counter claims that are made completely without evidence,” he said.
“This is our chance to draw a line in the sand. This must end. In an age of Twitter trolls, baseless online conspiracies, this is a chance for our parliament to declare we are bigger and better than this.
“To accept otherwise, to turn our back on the notion that a person making an allegation must have some evidence, sets a dangerous precedent.”
Primrose Riordan 4pm: Payne’s mission
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne will travel this week to Korea to discuss the growing North Korean tensions after Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test.
She told the Senate on Monday she will meet South Korean Defence Minister Song Young-moo and will also discuss Australia-Korean military relations.
Senator Payne will leave on Wednesday and will then visit the Philippines after Australia offered to assist the South East Asian nation tackle the Islamic State-linked militant insurgency in the country’s south.
3.50pm: Mr Shorten’s letter
Greg Brown 3.25pm: Shorten reveals citizenship status
Bill Shorten has shown proof he rescinded his British citizenship before he was elected to the parliament in 2007.
Mr Shorten has tabled a document in the House of Representatives proving he is not a dual citizen.
The Labor leader said he showed the document to put an end to the allegations made by Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott that he may not be eligible to sit in parliament.
He defended his delay in showing the document, saying parliamentarians should not be forced to fold to “baseless” allegations.
“I offer this proof to put an and to baseless allegations, not to reward them,” Mr Shorten told parliament.
Legit. pic.twitter.com/dG5DOlVVYX
— David Crowe (@CroweDM) September 4, 2017
Rachel Baxendale 3.15pm: Frydenberg’s power play
The government tries to turn the attention back to energy prices, with a Dixer from Member for Gilmore Ann Sudmalis for Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg.
Frydenberg seizes on his opposite number Mark Butler’s admission last week that Labor was warned about the risk of gas prices escalating if safeguards weren’t put in place when the export market was opened up.
“You can imagine the great interest I had in the interview that the Member for Port Adelaide would rather forget with (Sky News host) David Speers last Thursday,” Frydenberg said.
“And normally you’ll get those interviews sent out to you on email by the member’s office. But it didn’t come on Thursday. It didn’t come on Friday. It didn’t come on Saturday. It didn’t come on Sunday. It hasn’t even come today, Mr Speaker.
“You know why? Because there was a question in there, Mr Speaker, from David Speers who said to the member for Port Adelaide, ‘your own white paper told you there would be an impact on prices but you said you weren’t warned’.
“This is what the member for Port Adelaide said: ‘Everyone knew there was going to be an impact on prices’.
“Mr Speaker, here is the Labor Party and a Leader of the Opposition who said they stand up for blue collar workers. But through their actions gas prices have increased, electricity prices have increased and the jobs of people in manufacturing, in plastics, in paper, in chemicals, in cafes, in pubs are all now put in jeopardy because the Labor Party in order to win green votes have given away the blue collar workers that you should be standing up for.”
Greg Brown 3.10pm: Crossbench moves
The five crossbenchers sit snuggly in a single booth in the chamber as they all vote with Labor.
The government wins the division vote 74 to 73.
Back to questions.
Greg Brown 3.05pm: Slim margin
The entire crossbench voted with Labor on Christopher Pyne’s motion but it went the government’s way 74 to 73.
Labor agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon has attempted to second Tony Burke’s motion so another vote is underway.
Greg Brown 3pm: ‘Replace the Deputy PM’
Tony Burke is moving to suspend standing orders to move a motion that calls on Malcolm Turnbull to sack Barnaby Joyce as Deputy Prime Minister and from cabinet.
“That the House calls on the PM to immediately stand aside the Deputy Prime Minister from cabinet until his constitutional qualifications have been determined by the High Court,” Burke says.
Leader of the House Christopher Pyne responded by moving his own motion that Burke should not be heard.
A division is required.
Rachel Baxendale 3pm: PM acting ‘recklessly’
Yet more on Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash’s citizenship cases from Labor.
Tony Burke asks Turnbull: “Why is the government knowingly putting at risk every ministerial decision and every ministerial action being taken by ministers who have responsibility for regional development, regional communications, local government, resources, territories, agriculture, water resources and northern Australia? How can the PM act so recklessly on the arrogant basis
that he knows ‘what the High Court will so hold’?”
Turnbull says all we’ve heard from Labor over the last two weeks is their plans to create trouble and chaos in the House of Reps.
“We’ve read about your cunning plans to create mayhem in the House of Representatives,” he says.
Turnbull says Labor hasn’t been prepared to talk about the government’s initiatives on terrorism or the cashless welfare card - it is only interested in chaos.
Greg Brown 2.55pm: Clear lines of attack
Bill Shorten asks Malcolm Turnbull about the perennial: citizenship.
Turnbull attacks the Labor Party for refusing to talk about issues of concern to everyday Australians.
“The Australian people expect this House, this parliament to focus on their security. Their national security. Their energy security. Securing their jobs and the opportunities for the future. That’s what the government is focused on,” Turnbull says.
Greg Brown 2.50pm: Dutton targets welfare debate
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton uses a question from a Coalition backbencher to attack Bill Shorten’s opposition to the government’s welfare cuts to asylum seekers.
“It is clear this Leader of the Opposition is as weak as Gillard and Rudd when it comes to boats and when you see some of the statements from those members sitting behind they have not learnt a single lesson,” Dutton says.
“Not learnt a single lesson since the time when they had those drownings at sea and they allowed the 50,000 people in on 800 boats.”
Greg Brown 2.45pm: Labor continues Joyce attack
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek goes again on citizenship.
“Since the government became aware that there was doubt over the qualifications of the Deputy Prime Minister to be a member of parliament, how many executive orders, grants, delegations, appointments and legislate instruments as the Deputy Prime Minister signed or made?”
Malcolm Turnbull says the premise of her question is false.
“The Government is absolutely satisfied that the Deputy Prime Minister is qualified to sit in the House. Our legal advice is very clear. We’re very confident that the High Court will confirm that when the matter is heard,” he says
Rachel Baxendale 2.45pm: ‘Where is the proof?’
Shorten keeps going on citizenship with a question for Turnbull.
“Last time this parliament sat the PM claimed in Question Time: ‘The Deputy PM is qualified to sit in this House. And the High Court will so hold.’ On what basis did the PM make this claim?” Shorten asks.
Turnbull says he’s answered this question before.
“The basis of our confidence, our very strong confidence in the High Court holding that the Deputy PM and indeed senators Canavan and Nash being held to be qualified to sit in the House and the Senate, that is plainly based on advice from the Solicitor-General, and we hold that confidence very, very strongly indeed,” he says.
Turnbull says Shorten can’t be trusted.
“He claims, he claims to have renounced his UK citizenship. Where is the proof? He won’t show it,” the PM says.
“All he has to do is produce a piece of paper, that’s all he’s got to do. What is he trying to cover up? Is it his situation or others’?”
Greg Brown 2.40pm: Crocodile rocker
Crossbench MP Bob Katter asks a question about crocodile hunting. He is outraged the Queensland government has restricted it.
“(Annastacia) Palaszczuk will not become Cleopatra no matter how many sacrifices she makes to the crocodile Gods,” Katter says.
Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg responds: “I’m sure you are not (Palaszuk’s) Mark Antony”. It got half a laugh.
Frydenberg says he is concerned about the increase of crocodile related fatalities.
“It is under state legislation in Queensland where crocodiles are listed as a vulnerable species. We call upon the Palaszczuk Government to take stronger action to put people first,” Frydenberg says.
Rachel Baxendale 2.35pm: ‘Reckless, dangerous step’
Turnbull takes a Dixer on North Korea, telling parliament he this morning convened a meeting of the national security committed of cabinet which was briefed by intelligence agency and defence chiefs.
The PM says North Korea’s boasting of a sixth nuclear text which caused a 6.1 magnitude tremor on the Richter scale is “yet another reckless and dangerous step” in the conduct of the rogue regime.
“Mr Speaker, this is the most dangerous moment in our lifetime on the Korean peninsula since the end of the Korean War. Much is at stake,” Mr Turnbull says.
“The conduct of this regime, the reckless and ildeal conduct of this regime can’t be rewarded.
“We have to make sure the global community imposes stronger and stronger sanctions on North Korea.”
Mr Turnbull says China is the country with the greatest leverage over North Korea.
“And so we call on China to use that economic leverage to bring this rogue regime to its senses,” he says.
Mr Turnbull acknowledges the Ambassador for Japan in the public gallery.
“I say to the ambassador, as I said to his PM, that we stand in solidarity with the people of Japan, the people of South Korea, the whole global community in standing up to this rogue regime.”
Rachel Baxendale 2.30pm: A familiar topic
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke takes up the citizenship issue, citing an unnamed Nationals MP who told today’s Courier Mail that there are Liberals who have questions to answer about dual citizenship.
Manager of Government Business Christopher Pyne attempts to challenge the question.
“I ask how anonymous gossip in the newspapersis in the PM’s area of responsibility?” he says.
Speaker Tony Smith allows the question.
Turnbull says the matter has been dealt with on several occasions.
“At this stage honourable members are aware that three members of the Coalition, three ministers, have been very candid about the fact that they believe that they had citizenship by descent,” he says.
“Those matters have been referred to the High Court.
“The advice we have from the Solicitor-General, as honourable members know, is that we expect the High Court to find those matters will not disqualify any of those members from sitting in the House or indeed in the Senate.”
Mr Turnbull notes that the opposition, including Mr Shorten, has taken the view that they are “under no obligation” to demonstrate that they do not hold dual citizenship.
Greg Brown 2.25pm: North Korea ‘condemned’
Bill Shorten finally gets his chance to speak about North Korea on indulgence in response to Malcolm Turnbull’s statement.
Shorten says it is an issue which the parliament is united about. Uses strong language against the rogue regime.
“Labor unreservedly condemns North Korea’s deliberate, dangerous and provocative nuclear testing,” he says.
“It is a regime that force feeds its people on propaganda whilst they starve on poverty. It’s a dictatorship that calls itself democratic and its people suffer in slave labour. It is a regime with no respect for the security of our region or the future of global peace.
“This latest nuclear test is a calculated demonstration of contempt. Contempt for the international community as a whole, and for China and its nearest neighbours in particular.”
Greg Brown 2.20pm: Labor silenced
Labor’s request for a statement on indulgence about North Korea has been denied by speaker Tony Smith.
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke objects that indulgence was granted on City of Yarra council banning citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
Burke recovers to question Malcolm Turnbull in citizenship. No surprises there.
“The last time the parliament sat the government waited an entire week before revealing at the last possible moment Senator Nash would be referred to the High Court. Will the government guarantee that there are no other government members or senators where the government has sought or received advice on their constitutional qualifications to sit in parliament but not yet made these doubts about their qualification public?”
Turnbull says Labor has no credibility on the issue given Bill Shorten won’t prove he rescinded his British citizenship.
“Sometimes the conduct and tactics of the Opposition beggar belief,” Turnbull says.
“A moment ago we just saw the grey faced Leader of the Opposition seek indulgence, contrary to all precedent, to make a statement about North Korea. Then came the turn for them to ask a question which could have been about North Korea. But instead it’s asked about the matter of citizenship.”
Rachel Baxendale 2.15pm: Tributes for former MP
Question Time kicks off with Malcolm Turnbull moving a condolence motion for former Labor member for Capricornia and Minister for Health Doug Everingham, whose son, Rick, and daughter-in-law Madonna are in the public gallery.
The PM says Everingham oversaw significant reform which had and enduring and beneficial impact on the nation and the health of Australians.
Everingham came to parliament having worked as a psychiatrist, surgeon and MP.
“That experience instilled in him the strong belief that the mentally ill did not belong behind closed doors in institutions, as was the practice of the day, and when he became the Health Minister in the Whitlam Government, he pushed to deinstitutionalise mental health, long before that approach was broadly accepted as appropriate,” Mr Turnbull says.
“He was a man ahead of his time in many ways, in particular in urging restrictions on cigarette and alcohol advertising and going to the extent of sticking anti-smoking signs on the cigarette vending machines that were once common place at Parliament House.”
Bill Shorten hails Everingham as “the first of the Whitlam academics - a new breed of tertiary educated Labor candidate”, who was present at the creation of Medibank and the beginning of universal health care in Australia.
“When you look back at the record of his speeches in this place, the overwhelming majority focused not just upon health, but upon the disadvantaged, the and the poor health suffered by Aboriginal Australians,” he says.
“He was someone who spent years providing free medical treatment near Rocky. He knew first hand of what he spoke about.”
“Today another member of a famous government marches in to history. We pause to honour the memory of a man of decency, humility and intellect.”
Greg Brown 2pm: Coal ‘vital for Australia’
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says the government will do all it can to keep coal power stations open for longer.
Mr Frydenberg said coal was vital for the Australian energy market and was needed to provide cheap and stable electricity to Australians.
He would not be drawn on speculation the government is considering options of how it could keep Liddell Power Station in Newcastle open after its owner AGL plans to close it.
“The cheapest form of existing power generation comes from existing coal, its also a stable reliable form of dispatchable power,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“So if we can keep our coal fire power stations open for longer then that can provide a good outcome for Australian consumers.
“We need coal in our system and we will ensure that will continue to be the case.”
The government will today receive a advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator on the ramifications for adopting a clean energy target as recommended by the Finkel report.
Mr Frydenberg the advice would ensure there would be enough dispatchable energy in the energy grid.
“We’ve seen over the last 10 years more than 5000 megawatts come out of the system as coal-fire power stations have closed and not all electrons are created equal,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“Wind and solar power can only be provided when the wind is blowing or when the sun is shining or when there is storage, so we need to need to ensure that we have a level of dispatchable power in the system which will provide more stability to the grid.”
The Coalition is divided on adopting a clean energy target.
Rachel Baxendale 1.40pm: Labor moves on former MP
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has successfully referred former Liberal Minister Bruce Billson to a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations Mr Billson failed to disclose he was collecting a $75,000 salary from the Franchise Council of Australia while still an MP prior to the last federal election.
Mr Burke successfully referred the “serious” matter to the committee of privileges and members interests earlier today.
He wants the committee to consider any issues around the former small business minister accepting an appointment as, and acting as, a paid director of the lobby group.
“We make no conclusion by carrying this resolution, but we do determine that the House will ensure that the matter is examined in the appropriate way,” Mr Burke told parliament.
Speaker Tony Smith allowed Mr Burke to move the motion, saying he was “sufficiently concerned” by the matters raised to consider they should be examined by the committee.
“In doing so I reiterate that I have not made a determination that there is a prima facie case,” the Speaker said.
Mr Billson has denied a conflict existed between his parliamentary responsibilities and his role with the FCA.
There was no basis to infer that his appointment was concealed or not known publicly or in parliament, he said.
However, Mr Billson has admitted to not formally notifying parliament’s register of interests in a timely manner that he began receiving the salary.
He announced in March last year he was taking a job as executive director of the FCA.
With AAP
Greg Brown 1.20pm: Di Natale’s fear over conservative doctors
Greens leader Richard Di Natale says he is concerned by conservative doctors who seek to impose their views on patients.
Senator Di Natale this afternoon would not criticise a petition facilitated by GetUp!, which circulated in attempting to get No campaigner Pansy Lai deregistered as a doctor.
The GetUp! petition was pulled this morning after receiving more than 5000 signatories.
Instead, Senator Di Natale said doctors who are opposed to homosexuality should refer gay patients to another doctor.
“As a former doctor myself what is really clear is we have a responsibility where our conscience does not allow us to treat or look after people that we refer those people on to doctors who are able to do that,” Senator Di Natale said.
“I’ve got grave concerns about any medical practitioner who has deeply conservative and in some cases offensive views towards same-sex attracted people that they would be imposing those views on those individuals and in some cases making what can be serious mental health issues worse.”
Dr Lai, a Sydney-based GP, appeared in the controversial No television ad.
On the issue of citizenship, Senator Di Natale said ministerial decisions by Barnaby Joiyce and Fiona Nash would come under legal challenge if the Coalition ministers are found to be ineligible by the High Court.
“They are the stakes that we are dealing with at the moment which is why it is so critical we get this business over and done with, we have the audit, we come back here and start governing in the interests of the people,” Senator Di Natale said.
1.10pm: Twitter row erupts
Agree @billshortenmp should show evidence. Note @TonyAbbottMHR refused to show it or shut up re Brit citizenship for years. Shameless
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) September 3, 2017
@samanthamaiden My office showed the letter confirming that I'd renounced UK citizenship to any journo who asked and Bill should do the same https://t.co/0GeETrtgVH
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) September 4, 2017
Not true I asked for document for years when I was on Sundays Richard Dowdy never coughed it up @TonyAbbottMHR. Also why not just release it https://t.co/ek3RXTIzx1
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) September 4, 2017
In fact for many months when I asked for it @TonyAbbottMHR after leadership spill office said couldn't find but did have it. I have emails https://t.co/ek3RXTIzx1
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) September 4, 2017
Rachel Baxendale 12.50pm: Joyce ‘would have gone to a poll’
Barnaby Joyce says it’s stating the “bleeding obvious” to say that he would have gone straight to a by-election in his NSW seat of New England had the Solicitor-General’s advice to the government on his dual citizenship case not been strong.
The Deputy PM said that unlike Labor, the Coalition had been open and transparent and anyone with doubts over their status had referred themselves to the High Court.
“The Labor Party has basically said their approach is ‘trust us’, and it seems like a lot of people do,” Mr Joyce said.
“The question really hangs there whether they should follow the same line that we’ve followed in the National Party which is if you have a doubt, put yourself before the court, which is precisely what we’re doing.
“We made a diligent assessment on the advice that was provided to us by the Solicitor-General which said basically we’ve got a very strong case that is you’re more likely than not to succeed and that’s the premise on which we went forward.
“Otherwise quite obviously, it’s the bleeding obvious, I would have gone to a by-election as soon as possible.”
Rachel Baxendale 12.40pm: Labor returns fire at Abbott
Labor frontbencher Richard Marles has responded to Tony Abbott’s call for Bill Shorten to “show it or shut up” regarding documentation showing the Opposition Leader renounced dual British citizenship, arguing that it’s the government which needs to “put up or shut up”.
“What actually is it that they’re saying about Bill Shorten?” Mr Marles told Sky News.
“No one has raised an issue about Bill Shorten’s citizenship. If there was the slightest hint of a problem out there in relation to Bill Shorten’s citizenship whoever had that information would be absolutely putting it in the public domain.”
Mr Marles was challenged over Labor senator Katy Gallagher, who has refused repeated Sky News interview requests since questions arose about the possibility of her having dual Ecuadorean citizenship through her mother, who was born in Ecuador.
Asked why Senator Gallagher was ‘in witness protection’, Mr Marles said her situation spoke to the process the Labor Party had in place.
“It’s a quite unusual situation in terms of her mother being born in Ecuador. That was something that she made clear in the vetting process that the party undertook,” he said.
“Research was being done on the significance of that and what it meant, and as a result of that it was concluded that that didn’t have any bearing on or create any possibility of (her not being legitimate).”
Rosie Lewis 12.20pm: New questions over Labor senator
Labor senator Katy Gallagher has admitted she may have been entitled to British citizenship when she first entered federal parliament, and only took “all reasonable steps” to renounce any entitlement more than a year after sitting in the upper house.
Senator Gallagher, whose parents were both born British citizens, made a personal statement to the Senate today after questions emerged over her citizenship status.
The main question hanging over Senator Gallagher was whether she was an Ecuadorean citizen by descent through her mother, who was born there in 1943.
“My mother’s birth was registered at the British Consulate at Guayaquil. Her birth certificate, which was issued by the British consul, describes her birth as a birth within the District of the British Consulate at Guayaquil,” she told the chamber.
“To the best of my knowledge, my mother’s birth was never registered with the Ecuadorean Government. I am unable to locate any record of an Ecuadorean birth certificate, despite interrogating family records. It is my understanding that an Ecuadorean birth certificate was never obtained for my mother.”
Senator Gallagher, who sought further legal advice following media reports, repeated her assertion she was “not and have never been an Ecuadorean citizen”.
The ACT senator said she was not advised prior to entering the Senate on a casual vacancy in March 2015 that she needed to renounce any entitlement to foreign citizenship.
She said she was of the understanding she was not British because she had made earlier inquiries about living and working in the United Kingdom, and was told she would have to go through a formal application process to become a British citizen.
“And that if I did apply my application would probably be granted, although it was not automatic,” Senator Gallagher said.
“I never took any steps to become a British citizen.”
But Senator Gallagher received difference advice in the lead up to the 2016 election.
“The ALP vetting team considered my individual situation and the fact that since my father had died some 20 years earlier it was going to be difficult to substantiate his particular circumstances,” she said.
“They advised that, out of an abundance of caution, I should fill out and return a Form RN Renunciation of British Citizenship to put beyond any doubt that I could obtain British citizenship by descent via my father. Despite my clear understanding that I was not a British citizen I followed the advice of the ALP vetting team and submitted the paperwork to the UK Home Office together with required payment on 20 April 2016.
“I was advised that submitting the Declaration of Renunciation with the Home Office meant that I had taken all reasonable steps to renounce any entitlement to British citizenship.”
The concession is interesting and raises the question - was she a British citizen when she was first elected to the Senate? It does not render her ineligible to sit in the current parliament, as, according to Senator Gallagher, when she was last elected she had renounced any entitlement to British citizenship.
11.50am: Labor senator clarifies citizenship
Senator Gallagher has sought to clarify her position, following media speculation she held Ecuadorean citizenship. Senator Gallagher said despite her mother having been born in the South American country, she had never received an Ecuadorean birth certificate and was never an Ecuadorean citizen.
She had since sought legal advice from two experts to confirm earlier legal advice that she too had never been an Ecuadorean citizen.
She had also renounced any entitlement to British citizenship through her father, she said.
“I am not a citizen of Ecuador, I am not a citizen of the United Kingdom. I am eligible to serve in this parliament,” she said.
Seven parliamentarians have now been referred to the High Court over holding dual citizenship, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, former cabinet minister Matt Canavan, One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts and two former Greens senators.
Cabinet minister Fiona Nash and key crossbencher Nick Xenophon were referred to the High Court via a Senate motion on Monday to test whether their dual citizenship disqualifies them from sitting.
Meanwhile, a failed attempt by Pauline Hanson to establish an audit of the citizenship of all senators has been described as a “desperate stunt”. The One Nation leader disrupted Senate business on Monday morning after the chamber rejected her plan, insisting the public had lost confidence in politicians.
Labor’s Doug Cameron slammed the move as a desperate stunt to cover for the fact there were doubts about the eligibility of her own senator, Malcolm Roberts.
Greg Brown 11.30am: Shorten ‘protecting’ Labor MPs
Liberal MP Craig Laundy says Bill Shorten is a “hypocrite” who is refusing to show documentation proving he is eligible to sit in parliament to protect Labor MPs such as Katy Gallagher, who have questions surrounding their citizenship.
Mr Laundy backed Tony Abbott, who this morning told Mr Shorten to “show it or shut up” amid his pursuit of former dual citizen Barnaby Joyce.
He said he did not think Mr Shorten was a dual citizen but was refusing to show proof he rescinded British citizenship before entering parliament as it would force potentially ineligible Labor MPs to do the same.
“They are going to play all sorts of games and the reality is they are hypocrites,” Mr Laundy told Sky News.
“You’ve got the Ecuadorean kid sitting in the Senate, the parliamentary liaison for coffee, Katy Gallagher, and she is sitting there and won’t produce documentation.
“I don’t for a minute believe Bill Shorten is a dual citizen; I believe he is not releasing his paperwork because there are others like Katy Gallagher who are, and he is too interested in playing politics.
“He says, ‘we are all fine, nothing to see here’ but if Bill Shorten told me it was raining I would have to stick my head out the window and check because he has got a long track record of saying one thing and doing another, and I think this is just the latest iteration of it.”
Mr Laundy said the polls continued to be bad for the government despite an improvement in today’s Newspoll.
He said the issues of same-sex marriage and citizenship were sucking oxygen from the government’s agenda.
“The polls aren’t good for us, the government of the day gets marked down if things are being spoken about that aren’t of relevance,” he said.
“I’ve just had two weeks in the electorate. People are talking about all sorts of issues but two of them aren’t citizenship and same-sex marriage, and the reality is the oxygen is being sucked out by those issues, it makes it harder for us to get the message across.”
He said the Coalition needed to work harder on spreading the message on its policies of lower taxation and reform to education.
“It’s not hard to push lower taxes, we’ve decreased personal taxers, we’ve decreased company taxes, we’ve reformed superannuation, childcare, education,” Mr Laundy said.
“We are getting on with the business of government as we will for this next two weeks and we need to be on the front foot and selling the message and the change we will make in the lives of everyday Australians.”
Rosie Lewis 11.20am Hinch in the clear
Victorian senator Derryn Hinch has confirmed he will not have his election sent to the High Court because he was not a US dual citizen. Questions were raised over Senator Hinch’s status when it was revealed he held a US social security number, and had been eligible to a pension after paying social security tax for 10 years.
“After seeking legal advice, the government will not refer me to the High Court. I’ve been advised by Senator (Penny) Wong that the opposition agrees with that decision. I think such a referral would be a waste of the High Court’s precious time and possibly taxpayers’ money,” he told the Senate.
“I do still believe that this chamber should vote to have an independent auditor examine the validity of every member in this chamber and also in the other place.”
Rosie Lewis 11.10am: Citizenship row ‘silly’
Attorney-General George Brandis says Nick Xenophon’s dual citizenship case “illustrates how silly this has become”, as the Senate powerbroker joins six others in being referred to the High Court.
“As the Prime Minister said the other day, if Nick Xenophon is an Englishman the Pope is a Methodist,” Senator Brandis told the chamber.
Nationals deputy leader Fiona Nash this morning also had her election sent to the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, but Labor, the Greens and members of the crossbench have again taken issue with her decision not to step down from cabinet.
Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong said she had “grave concerns”.
“When there are real doubts about your right to sit in this parliament then you ought not be acting as a minister, taking important decisions as a member of the executive until that matter is resolved,” Senator Wong said.
She urged Senator Nash to “reconsider” and follow the lead of former cabinet minister Matthew Canavan, who “did the right thing” by standing aside from his duties as minister for Northern Australia and resources.
Peter van Onselen 11.05am: PM’s looming Newspoll nightmare
The Coalition has now trailed Labor for 19 consecutive Newspolls, leaving only 11 to go before Malcolm Turnbull emulates the feat of Tony Abbott, which led to a challenge for the prime ministership. Full analysis here
Greg Brown 11am: Xenophon’s Trump warning
Crossbench senator Nick Xenophon has urged the government not to give a blank cheque to “erratic” US President Donald Trump if military action is taken on the Korean Peninsula.
Senator Xenophon said cool heads should prevail to de-escalate tensions after North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb.
“The actions of the North Korean regime are incredibly dangerous but I’m also concerned about the erratic comments of President Trump,” Senator Xenophon said this morning.
“We’ve signed up to the ANZUS Treaty but it is important that we don’t give a blank cheque to the United States, that we do what is in Australia’s interests and that we pursue diplomacy rather than conflict.
“The danger of this escalating out of control would have catastrophic consequences for the world, and that’s why cool heads have to prevail against a rogue and dangerous regime.
“Erratic comments by the US President certainly isn’t helping.”
On media reform, Senator Xenophon said he would not support abolishing the two-out-of-three rule unless to was accompanied by tax cuts for publishers with an turnover of less than $25 million.
“I can’t support the two-out-of-three rule going unless there is a quid pro quo with a package of tax incentives to employ more journalists, more camera operators, more photographers,” Senator Xenophon said.
“If we value our democracy we need to value the role journalists and all those who provide the content have in terms of keeping politicians and governments at all levels on their toes.”
Rachel Baxendale 10.50am: ‘You can’t trust Bill Shorten’
Cities Minister Angus Taylor says Bill Shorten’s call for an extra plaque to be added to the Captain James Cook statue in Sydney’s Hyde Park was the sort of thing Australians have come to expect from the Opposition Leader.
“Australians love their history, warts and all,” Mr Taylor told Sky News.
“There are warts in our history but they love it. It’s part of us, and the idea of tearing down statues is such a Stalinist kind of Orwellian idea.
“But at the end of the day you’ve got to be clear on these things and Bill Shorten wasn’t. He dallied around for 24 hours or a couple of days before he said anything, and this is what you’re dealing with Bill Shorten.
“Australians do care about their history. Again, I heard that consistently over the weekend in my electorate and this is the sort of stuff that we’ve come to expect from him.”
Quizzed on today’s Newspoll, which showed Mr Shorten’s standing as preferred prime minister had fallen 29 to 46 in Malcolm Turnbull’s favour, Mr Taylor said polls needed to be taken with a “grain of salt”, but it was clear voters knew they couldn’t trust Mr Shorten.
“The really clear thing for me that I’m hearing on the ground, I heard over the weekend in my electorate is that you can’t trust Bill Shorten,” Mr Taylor said.
“I think that shows up now in the numbers. It’s something we’ve been seeing consistently. I think it’s strengthened.”
Rachel Baxendale 10.35am: Turnbull-Abbott turbulence
Tony Abbott has addressed reports that he was on the end of an expletive-laden spray from Malcolm Turnbull in 2014. Full story here
Rachel Baxendale 10.30am Abbott condemns Yes ‘bullying’
Tony Abbott says a bid by left-wing activist group GetUp! to deregister Sydney GP Pansy Lai after she appeared in the first television advertisement for the same-sex marriage No case shows the Yes campaign has been “marred by bullying” from the very beginning.
“Whether it be the attempt to drag the Archbishop of Hobart to court, whether it be the campaign against Coopers because they sponsored a Bible Society debate, now this attempt to deregister a doctor who urges a No vote,” the former PM told 2GB.
“We saw the absurdity of pulling a Father’s Day ad off TV because it was somehow political, and my very simple point is if you don’t like political correctness, the best way to stop it in its tracks is to vote No in this plebiscite and certainly if you want to stop this bullying and you want to ensure that freedom of speech and freedom of religion was respected, you’ve got to vote No because there is a big agenda here that these activists are pushing.”
Rosie Lewis 10.15am: A senate dressing-down?
A procedure committee will be asked if the Senate president should be allowed to temporarily suspend senators from the chamber after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson wore a burka into the upper house.
Senate president Stephen Parry said he believed Senator Hanson at no point put the integrity of the security of Parliament House at risk by the controversial stunt but it had raised a security issue and the appropriateness of what senators wear in the chamber.
As revealed in The Australian, he has written to the procedure committee asking if clothing rules should change and whether there should be an amendment to standing orders to suspend senators from the chamber “for a period of time”.
Senator Parry said he would be disappointed if the Senate was asked to implement new laws and preferred it rely instead on the good judgment of those in the chamber.
Greg Brown 10.10am: Labor raises statue plaque plan
Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh says he would be “relaxed” about an additional plaque being chiselled onto the statue of Captain James Cook in Sydney.
Mr Leigh this morning defended Bill Shorten’s initial backing of an extra plaque on the historical statue which would recognise indigenous history.
Mr Shorten and Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek last Monday supported an extra plaque being put on the Hyde Park statue but both went cold on the proposal 24 hours later.
But the idea still has currency in the Labor Party, despite the proposal being ridiculed last week by Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese.
“Bill Shorten’s been very clear that our indigenous history needs to be recognised. We’re not talking about taking down statues, we’re simply recognising that at the time when many of these statues were put up, we had less of a proper appreciation of what a great thing it is to share this nation with a people whose continuing link to the land,” Mr Leigh told Sky News.
Mr Leigh batted back questions about this morning’s Newspoll which showed a majority of Australians wanted historical statues to remain as they are.
“We don’t want to draw significant conclusions from statistically insignificant movements in polls,” he said.
“We’re not talking about taking them down. This is quite different from the discussion on Confederate statues in the United States, where people are actually talking about taking them down and putting them into museums.
“This is about some people proposing an additional plaque be placed on the statue. I think we can be pretty relaxed about that.”
10.05am: Hanson’s new senate question
After wearing a burqa on the floor of parliament, Pauline Hanson is now turning her sights on hats, AAP reports.
The One Nation leader questioned the wearing of hats in the federal upper house as well as facial coverings.
Senate President Stephen Parry is expected to make a statement today on Senator Hanson’s burka-wearing stunt and refer the issue of a dress code to the procedures committee.
“Our vote is taken on the floor of parliament by full facial recognition and I don’t believe anyone should walk into that chamber at any time with a burqa or a full facial covering,” she told reporters in Canberra ahead of the statement. “I also do question about wearing a hat into the Senate chamber as well,” she said.
“I don’t believe it is etiquette and I don’t believe a hat should be worn as it is by one member in the chamber, and that is Senator (Pat) Dodson.”
Fellow crossbencher Derryn Hinch wants to know what security measures were carried out during Senator Hanson’s burka stunt last month.
“I did make the point back then that my campaign against pedophile priests by her standards, and the Senate’s standards, I should turn up today with my collar turned back to front as a priest or a cardinal,” he said.
David Crowe 10am: Newspoll analysis
The latest results represent an important boost for Malcolm Turnbull, David Crowe has told Sky News Australia. Watch:
Greg Brown 9.50am: ‘A very cynical opposition’
Education Minister Simon Birmingham says the government will stay focused on bread and butter issues after a bounce in today’s Newspoll.
“I think that what we see is that Malcolm Turnbull is a leader focused on practical solutions for the country’s problems such as cost of living challenges, practical solutions in terms of investment in Australia’s future,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News.
“And yet in Bill Shorten we still have a leader who just wants to play political games, he wants to play political games here in the parliament, plays political games with issues, just in my own portfolio space, they complain about the cost of child care, yet voted against our child care reforms.
“They say they believe in Gonski, yet voted against our school funding reforms. Proposed efficiency measures when they were last in government in higher education, yet oppose our higher education reforms. I mean, this is a very cynical opposition and you can see it right across every position they take.”
Greg Brown 9.40am: Joyce attacks Labor ‘clowns’
Barnaby Joyce has defended his decision to stay on as Deputy Prime Minister while his eligibility is under question, calling the Labor Party “clowns”.
Mr Joyce said he would have stepped aside if the Solicitor-General advised it was likely the High Court would find him ineligible.
“Otherwise I would have stood down, gone to a by-election and people would have said: ‘why are you doing this when the Solicitor-General’s advice is that you are going to be all right?” Mr Joyce said outside Parliament House this morning.
“You hold office until such time as death, or you resign or the High Court finds otherwise.”
Rachel Baxendale 9.30am: Cormann defends challenge financing
Mathias Cormann says he’s confident he had solid legal and constitutional grounds to use money under advance for Finance Minister classification for the same-sex marriage postal survey.
Senator Cormann’s claim is due to be challenged in the High Court tomorrow.
This morning he said that the advance to the Finance Minister was a longstanding arrangement that had been in place in various forms since federation.
“Labor in government over a six-year period used the advance to the Finance Minister on 32 occasions,” Senator Cormann told ABC radio.
Former Finance Department secretary Michael Keating has written that the expenditure is “entirely inappropriate” and that the government is ignoring all conventions about proper procedure.
Senator Cormann said he disagreed with Mr Keating.
“I believe he’s wrong. Section 10 of the Appropriations Act 2017-18 is very explicit,” he said.
“Parliament gave me the power to make the decisions that I have made, in circumstances where there is an unforeseen urgent item of expenditure, and of course because the government hadn’t made a decision by the time of the budget to give Australians a say on same-sex marriage through the Australian Bureau of Statistics postal survey, clearly the expenditure was unforeseen and it became urgent because we want to achieve an outcome by 15 November,” Senator Cormann said.
Greg Brown 9.20am: Labor move ‘sickening’
Malcolm Turnbull says Australians will be “sickened” by the Labor Party’s plans to use the parliament to put pressure on the government over the eligibility of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
The Prime Minister hit out at Labor for “playing games” while the world faced a serious security threat from North Korea.
“It says a lot about the Labor Party that at a time when we are facing the greatest threat of war on the Korean Peninsula in more than 60 years, in the face of that, in the face of rising energy prices, and Labor’s admitted responsibility for that, in the face of all of that what the Labor Party wants to do is create disruption on the floor of the parliament,” Mr Turnbull told ABC radio.
“Australians will be sickened by the sight of the Labor Party’s failure to recognise the priorities of the Australian parliament is to keep Australians safe and to support the economic opportunity that Australians deserve.”
He attacked Labor’s deputy leader Tanya Plibersek for focusing on Mr Joyce’s eligibility in a press conference yesterday.
“Is she talking about North Korea? is she talking about how the Opposition stands in support of the government in demanding stronger sanctions against North Korea? No. She is talking about playing games on the floor of the parliament,” Mr Turnbull said.
Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke hit back at Mr Turnbull, saying he was indulging in “melodrama”.
“A bit of melodrama from Malcolm Turnbull, I mean over the top to say that somehow the reason we shouldn’t be upset that we have a deputy prime minister who is not constitutionally allowed to be in parliament is because of the threats of North Korea,” Mr Burke told ABC radio.
“It is trying to draw a long bow. To have a question mark as to whether the Deputy Prime Minister for Australia is constitutionally even allowed to be there is no small matter.”
Mr Burke said Labor would not give up in its pursuit of Mr Joyce on the floor of the parliament.
“We are not going to stop fighting, we are not going to stop pressing the issue, what we will be doing is making sure that at every moment we make clear that the government can’t have one standard fro Senator Canavan and a different standard for the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia,” Mr Burke said.
“We don’t know whether constitutionally he should be there, instead of stepping him aside and waiting until we are sure Malcolm Turnbull has decided to keep him in the job.
“And what’s worse when Malcolm Turnbull goes overseas at the end of the week, (he will) put him in charge of Australia knowing that ... every single decision he makes in that role is then likely to be challenged before the court.”
Greg Brown 9am: ‘An extremely dangerous act’
The Labor Party has condemned North Korea’s latest nuclear test.
Bill Shorten released a joint statement this morning with foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong and defence spokesman Richard Marles.
“This test is not only a direct threat to North Korea’s neighbours, it undermines global peace and security,” the statement said.
“The detonation of a sixth nuclear device, on top of North Korea’s recent missile tests, is a provocative and extremely dangerous act that demands the strongest possible response from the international community.”
The statement added North Korea’s repeated defiance of international law was unacceptable.
“The international community must do all it can to pressure North Korea to halt its reckless and extremely dangerous behaviour,” the statement said.
“All countries must fully implement UN Sanctions as agreed by the UN Security Council.
“These unacceptable actions can only further isolate North Korea and Labor unequivocally condemns these reckless threats to global security.”
Greg Brown 8.50am: ‘Show it or shut up’
Tony Abbott has declared Bill Shorten should “show it or shut up” as he demanded the Labor leader prove he renounced his citizenship.
Mr Abbott came out swinging this morning, in a different approach from cabinet ministers last week who sought to downplay questions over Mr Shorten’s eligibility to sit in parliament.
The former prime minister arrived at Parliament House with a letter saying he rescinded his British citizenship in 1993 and demanded Mr Shorten do the same.
It comes as the Labor Party vows to keep the heat on the government about the eligibility of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
“I say to Bill Shorten, show it or shut up. Show your letter or shut up about Barnaby Joyce, because if you haven’t got a letter, you are in exactly the same position as he is in and you should let him and let the parliament get on with its job this week,” Mr Abbott said.
“(Mr Shorten) should not be able to show his face anywhere in the country without being grilled, up hill and down dale about his citizenship.
“He is making an enormous song and dance. He is trying to make the parliament unworkable and yet he is in exactly the same position as Barnaby Joyce.
“His father was born overseas. He says he has renounced his British citizenship, well show it or shut up and if you can’t show it you should shut up and let the Deputy Prime Minister and the government get on with the job of governing this country.”
Mr Abbott said Mr Shorten’s refusal to show is documents was a “stunt”.
“We know that Bill Shorten is a union stooge, we know that he will put your power prices through the roof, we know that if he ever becomes prime minister we will see political correctness on steroids,” Mr Abbott said.
“But what we have got from Mr Shorten is an inability to be straight, and I say that he should be straight with the Australian people about his citizenship and he should show the letter or shut up.”’
.@TonyAbbottMHR says @billshortenmp needs to show proof he has no citizenship question to answer or 'shut up'. More: https://t.co/HlBVizIWUs pic.twitter.com/kEkQC4MM9x
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 3, 2017
Rachel Baxendale 8.45am: ‘Valid members of parliament’
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the government is getting on with the job of governing and cabinet ministers Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash remain valid members of parliament, despite pending High Court dual citizenship cases.
Senator Cormann said Mr Joyce and Ms Nash could “of course” continue to serve as ministers.
“Something that seems to be forgotten by various people that are commenting on this, is that every member of federal Parliament remains a valid member of the federal parliament unless and until the High Court finds otherwise, and based on our legal advice, we are confident the High Court will find that Barnaby and Fiona and others will remain as validly elected members of the federal parliament,” he told ABC radio.
Greg Brown 8.40am: N Korea must ‘pay a significant price’
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the international community should consider harsher economic sanctions against North Korea following its detonation of a hydrogen bomb.
Ms Bishop said the latest round of sanctions against the regime, approved by the UN Security Council, would hurt North Korea over the coming months.
But she said North Korea must “pay a significant price” for the latest detonation and flagged the potential for further penalties.
“There are still a number of options to be pursued, including sanctions. They don’t take effect until this week, they are significant sanctions, they will over time have an impact on North Korea to raise finance to fund this illegal ballistic missile and nuclear test regime,” Ms Bishop told Sky News.
“The United States is taking about broader sanctions, the UN Security Council has the ability to impose even tougher sanctions, North Korea must pay a significant price for its continued defiance of UN Security Council authority.
“If China were talking about banning the export of oil to North Korea that would have a significant impact, but there must be unprecedented pressure placed on North Korea from the international community.”
Rachel Baxendale 8.30am: Bishop weighs in on Turnbull-Abbott
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop has disputed reports Malcolm Turnbull gave then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott an expletive-ridden serve in front of her and two other ministers as the group returned from The Australian’s 50th birthday celebration aboard a government plane in 2014.
Several sources have told News Corp Mr Turnbull’s spray was so venomous it contained the C-word, however, a spokesman for Mr Turnbull has disputed that he uses such language.
Ms Bishop this morning said the reported exchange did not take place in front of her.
“It certainly didn’t happen in my presence,” she told the Nine Network.
Ms Bishop, Joe Hockey and George Brandis were reportedly aboard the VIP flight from Sydney to Canberra with five Coalition staffers.
Greg Brown 8.15am: IS ‘mustn’t get a foothold’
Malcolm Turnbull says an Islamic State insurgency in the Philippines must be stopped but he denied Australia had offered to send troops into the under-siege city of Marawi.
The Prime Minister said this morning it was “vitally important” Islamic State did not get a foothold in Asia.
“We cannot afford to have Marawi become the Raqqa of South East Asia, he told ABC radio. “It is vitally important that the ISIL insurgency in Marawi is defeated,” .
But he denied reports the government had offered to send special forces troops, saying the government was helping with intelligence gathering and “capacity building”.
“The ABC keeps saying this and we keep saying it’s wrong; we are providing support to the Philippine government in terms of intelligence gathering.
“We stand ready to assist them in capacity building, but the story that the ABC has consistently run and has been consistently corrected, that we have offered to send special forces is not true.”
Greg Brown 7.30am: On the agenda today
Labor has vowed to keep the pressure on the government about the eligibility of Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who is due be acting prime minister later this week when Malcolm Turnbull travels to Samoa.
The government, meanwhile, is expected to try and shift the debate to energy and talk up moves it has taken to try and lower power prices. But the Coalition is divided on energy, with internal debates raging on whether it should support the clean energy target, build new coal mines or invest in the expansion of existing coal mines.
Greg Brown 7.20am: Making headlines
• US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has warned North Korea after its latest nuclear test that threats to the United States and its allies “will be met with a massive military response”. Expect Turnbull reaction shortly.
• Last week’s energy blitz has improved the government’s standing in today’s Newspoll, with the Coalition’s primary vote rising by 2 points to 37 per cent while Mr Turnbull’s standing against Bill Shorten also improved. The Coalition also improved on a two-party preferred basis but still trails Labor by 47 per cent to 53 per cent.
• Supporters of the Yes campaign for same-sex marriage have launched a bid to deregister a doctor who appeared in the first television advertisement for the No case in a move that threatens other practitioners. The petition, sponsored by GetUp!, targeted Pansy Lai, a GP in northern Sydney,
• Michael Mrdak, secretary of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and one of the nation’s most senior public servants, has made an extraordinary outburst lamenting the inability of state and federal governments to deliver on economic reform, claiming the current public appetite for change is the worst he has seen in three decades in public life.
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