WHEN two Australian Greens senators left parliament last month after learning that they were dual citizens, and thus in breach of the constitution, Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister, condemned their “incredible sloppiness”. But on August 14th Barnaby Joyce, the deputy prime minister, revealed that he, too, was a citizen of two countries: Australia and New Zealand. His confession sparked a rare diplomatic row between the two countries. It also casts doubt on the survival of Mr Turnbull’s government, which clings to power with a majority of one.
Australia’s constitution bans from the federal parliament anyone who is under “acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power”, or who is “a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power”. But in a country of high immigration, these strictures are causing unexpected political turmoil. In mid-July, Scott Ludlam of the Australian Greens...Continue reading
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