Jacqui Lambie to soon learn her citizenship fate

TASMANIAN Independent senator Jacqui Lambie could resign as soon as today when she receives advice from about her citizenship status.

TASMANIAN Independent senator Jacqui Lambie is set to resign as soon as Tuesday when she receives advice from the British Home Office about her citizenship status.

Last week the outspoken Senator revealed that she could have dual British-Australian citizenship through her Scottish-born father who came to Australia as an infant.

“If I am a dual citizen I will resign, if it is black and white there is no need to take it to the High Court, as simple as that,” she told the Mercury.

EDITORIAL: Despite more than her share of gaffes, Senator Lambie has proven to be perhaps the most vocal voice for Tasmania in federal politics

It is understood Senator Lambie informed Senators in Canberra on Monday that she was still awaiting some information but was likely to resign this week.

In a recount she would be replaced by Devonport Mayor Steve Martin who was number two on the Jacqui Lambie Network ticket in the 2016 election.

She told the Mercury that if she resigned she would not look at standing for Braddon in the upcoming state election, saying the sate team was already full.

“As I am the chief executive officer of the JLN, I will be working on that alongside the state candidates,” she said.

Senator Jacqui Lambie will on Tuesday learn whether she is a dual national. Picture: Kym Smith

Political sources also speculated about the possibility that Senator Lambie could stand if a by-election was called in Braddon as a result of Labor’s Justine Keay’s dual citizenship problem.

Senator Lambie said she had only found out in recent weeks about her ancestry while writing her autobiography.

Ironically Senator Lambie had been a strong supporter of a citizenship audit of parliamentarians to clear the air once and for all.

Labor MP for Braddon Justine Keay.

Former Senator Richard Colbeck.

On Monday, the Senate referred the resignation of former Senate president Stephen Parry to the High Court.

The High Court is likely to set a date for a special count which would result in the return of former tourism and international education minister Richard Colbeck, who was dropped to number five on the Liberal Senate ticket in 2016.

Also on Monday the Senate passed a motion requiring more than 220 other members of Parliament, including Braddon MP Justine Keay, to lodge documents about their citizenship status by December 1.

Ms Keay and Queensland colleague Susan Lamb have been the focus of a Government push to embroil Labor in the citizenship crisis.

A further tranche of High Court cases or resignations could result in the Government losing control of Parliament.

Government Leader in the Senate George Brandis told the Senate that Ms Keay had not taken reasonable steps to renounce her citizenship.

“She was preselected to be the Labor candidate for that seat on or around the 26th of June, 2015, more than a year before the 2016 election,” he said.

Attorney-General Senator George Brandis. Picture: Kym Smith

“She took no steps at all for almost a year and indeed waited until after the election was called.”

But Ms Keay said the difference between her case and that of Liberals such as Stephen Parry and Barnaby Joyce “couldn’t be clearer”.

“I took all reasonable steps to renounce my UK citizenship – they didn’t bother,” she said.

She said legal advice from Peter Hanks QC showed that the Matt Canavan case showed the key legal point was whether all steps were taken that were reasonably required, not whether the foreign power had eventually got around to reacting to those steps.

Ms Keay posted her renunciation form on May 13, 2016 but did not receive the confirmation until July 11, 2016 – a month after the required date.

Already the citizenship crisis has claimed five Senators, including former Senator Parry, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and Bennelong MP John Alexander.