Liberals keep heat on Susan Lamb despite emotional plea

Labor MP Susan Lamb’s emotional appeal to the government to back off her dual citizenship has failed to shift its resolve.

Susan Lamb is comforted after her plea to the Coalition. Picture: Kym Smith

Labor MP Susan Lamb’s emotional appeal to the government to back off pursuing her dual-citizenship case has failed to shift the Coalition’s position that she should be referred to the High Court.

Ms Lamb yesterday told parliament she could not obtain her parents’ marriage certificate to complete the renunciation of her British citizenship because her estranged mother was “not around” to grant her access to the ­document.

Her mother, Hazel, who remains in contact with Ms Lamb’s sister Rachel, last month told The Australian she would have helped her daughter in getting the marriage certificate if she had been contacted.

Following weeks of increased pressure on Ms Lamb to resign or be referred to the High Court, the Longman MP shared her childhood story about her mother’s abandonment when she was six years old.

The Queensland MP, who holds a marginal seat, said she did not have a relationship with her mother and had decided to go public with her past not to gain sympathy but to explain why she could not obtain her parents’ marriage certificate.

Ms Lamb gained British citizenship by descent of her late ­father, who was born in Scotland.

“I would simply ask those opposite, take a moment and think about the circumstances,” Ms Lamb said. “Think about the consequences of attacks like this on my family.

“I remain confident I took all reasonable steps to renounce my citizenship and nothing will change. Everything to see has been shown, except now I’ve been forced to rip that Band-Aid off a very painful story, painful to me and painful to my family.”

The Australian understands the government remains of the view that Bill Shorten should refer her to the High Court to have her eligibility and “reasonable steps” defence tested.

The government has not ruled out using its numbers in the lower house to refer her if the Opposition Leader does not, but has not set a deadline to do so.

Government sources said her address only reconfirmed she was a dual citizen.

“I absolutely empathise with the situation and the circumstances that she’s explained to us this afternoon,” Liberal frontbencher Craig Laundy told Sky News.

“There’s quite clearly a legal question here.

“What is reasonable steps? There are mechanisms at her disposal to garner the documentation required that wouldn’t have involved having to obviously go through a traumatic ­experience.”

Mr Shorten said Ms Lamb had shown “extraordinary bravery and grace”.

Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon compared her case to that of government minister Josh ­Frydenberg.

“People have legitimately questioned (his case) because of his background with his mother fleeing the Nazis and this is a similar situation,” Mr Fitzgibbon told Sky News. “We shouldn’t be chasing one another down.”

Labor sources said the party had no plans to refer Ms Lamb.

The dual-citizenship fiasco also continued to affect the Jacqui Lambie Network yesterday as Steve Martin, who will be elected to replace Ms Lambie in the Senate, confirmed it was always his intention to take up the seat if the High Court found he could be a federal parliamentarian.

Ms Lambie resigned from the Senate in November for being a British citizen and said if she was in Mr Martin’s position she would step aside to allow for her return under a casual vacancy.