UPDATE: NZ govt confirms Barnaby Joyce is NZ citizen
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has become embroiled in a dual-citizenship scandal, after receiving advice that he may in fact be a New Zealand citizen.
Mr Joyce is reportedly set to remain Deputy PM and says he has not breached the Constitution according to legal advice, but will approach the High Court for a ruling.
The New Zealand High Commission reportedly contacted the Nationals leader last Thursday afternoon advising that he may be regarded a citizen by descent.
Mr Joyce’s mother is Australia, but his father was born in New Zealand and reportedly arrived in Australia in 1947 as a British subject.
"Given the strength of the legal advice the government has received, the prime minister has asked that I remain Deputy Prime Minister and continue my ministerial duties," he said.
Mr Joyce told Parliament he was shocked by the allegations, but added he would not resign from cabinet and planned to remain as the member for New England.
But some legal experts suggested that Mr Joyce could be a dual citizen. If so, he would be disqualified from Parliament, potentially jeopardising the Turnbull government's slim majority.
UPDATE: The New Zealand government has confirmed that Mr Joyce is in fact a citizen of New Zealand.
New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English told Sky News, “Unwittingly or not he's a New Zealand citizen.”
The Prime Minister defended Mr Joyce, insisting the High Court would rule in his favour.
“If an Australian citizen, who became a citizen of this country by reason of being born here, was to be ineligible to stand for Parliament because the law of a foreign country imposed foreign citizenship on them without their knowledge, due to their descent from a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, then, plainly, millions of Australians could be disqualified from standing for parliament,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Based on advice from the Solicitor-General, the government is the very confident the court will not find that the member for New England is to be disqualified from the Parliament.”
Image credit: Richard Hinds / Twitter