Three anti-marriage equality politicians will sashay away from Parliament

Three anti-marriage equality politicians will sashay away from Parliament
Image: (L - R: Fiona Nash, Malcolm Roberts, Barnaby Joyce) Image supplied.

Barnaby Joyce, Fiona Nash, Malcolm Roberts: in the citizenship challenge, the court was… not so high on your eligibility.

Three anti-marriage equality politicians have been ruled ineligible to serve in Federal Parliament today as the High Court handed down its rulings in the Citizenship Seven case.

Joyce, the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Nationals, will have to re-contest his seat of New England at a by-election in December as a result of not properly renouncing his New Zealand citizenship.

Meanwhile, Deputy Leader of the Nationals and NSW Senator Fiona Nash will also be required to leave the Upper House.

Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam, Greens Senators who had previously resigned from their positions over citizenship doubts, were also ruled ineligible.

One Nation has also lost some of its sway as colourful Queensland Senator Malcolm Roberts has also been given the boot.

Independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, who is leaving the federal stage for state politics, and Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan were ruled eligible to continue to serve.

The High Court’s ruling was unanimous in all cases, and throws the Turnbull government into further turmoil with the government no longer holding its small majority.

Joyce is a storied opponent of marriage equality, though he recently said he would not vote against it should the postal survey return a Yes result.

He suffered a swing against him when Tony Windsor stood against him at the last election.

ABC election analyst Antony Green said today that Joyce remains the favourite to return to his seat, and that “even if Tony Windsor does [stand against him], I would still say Barnaby Joyce is the favourite.”

Nash is also staunchly opposed, having clashed with Magda Szubanski on Q&A over the issue last year.

Roberts spoke in favour of the plebiscite, and was against marriage equality “in accordance with the laws of nature”, and in August used LGBTI rights as a cudgel to criticise Islam.

He will reportedly stand for One Nation in the safe Labor seat of Ipswich at the next Queensland state election.

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4 responses to “Three anti-marriage equality politicians will sashay away from Parliament”

  1. I guess the High Court accepted that Matt Canavan’s mother had applied for him to be granted Italian Citizenship without his knowledge. Maybe she made a statement to the Court to that effect and therefore he could not be expected to know what she was up to. It does raise the question of her legal position. In making such a claim was she breaking the Law?
    Problem: Now that both Roberts and Nash have given up their other citizenship what is to stop their Party renominating them to fill the vacancy?.
    I know ALL politicians are against this but maybe we should ignore what they want and simply insist on a Full Audit of ALL politicians.
    Without exception they are all so devious, so dishonest there are bound to be others – including those who claim to be of Aboriginal and Torres Island descent – the vast majority are not Full Blood and many would have Non-Australian Citizen Fathers.
    Now that all these people have been declared to be illegally in the Federal Parliament it means that they have always been sitting and working (if you can call it Real Work) illegally and therefore they should be required to refund all the millions they have skimmed off the Taxpayers., refund all the money they have illegally claimed to cover the cost of their overseas junkets to the fleshpots of the World.
    Just watch how quickly they all band together to pass retrospective legislation to cover their mate’s backsides.
    Barnaby has been illegally sitting in the Federal Parliament for decades.
    Maybe we should now go back and look at previous Federal Elections where the result has been tight. A 100% Audit of them all is essential.

  2. I’m going to be puerile here, but I don’t care!…
    “Ha-ha! Sucked-in you arrogant pratts!” ????

  3. How is Canavan allowed to stay? Hasn’t it been established that he is entitled to vote in Italian national elections? That’s much further over the citizenship line than Joyce, I’d have thought. Still, I guess that’s why I’m not a judge on the High Court.

    But I’m still laughing at the always hilarious Malcolm Roberts. The One Nation Party has now lost half of the Senate team which got elected just over a year ago. What a pack of clowns.