Labor’s Justine Keay has batted away calls for her to test her eligibility to sit in Parliament in the High Court, despite not having received official notice she was not a British citizen until after election night.
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She says she will await the outcome of negotiations between her party leader and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on how Parliament should deal with its dual citizenship crisis.
The two could not arrive at an agreement on Wednesday, however, but said they wanted the issue resolved before Parliament winds up for the year.
This was on the same day that the tight time frame in which Ms Keay renounced her British citizenship continued to dog the Braddon MHR.
In August, Ms Keay said she had filled out a renunciation document on May 9 which was received by the British Home Office two weeks later.
She was elected on July 2 but claimed, on social media, she did not receive the official Declaration of Renunciation notice until July 11.
Ms Keay, however, held belief she was safe because this notice was received prior to her official election to Parliament on July 19.
Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz continued his attack on Ms Keay, goading her to either test her case in the High Court and publicly release the renunciation.
"Suspicion will continue to surround the member for Braddon and the Labor Leader if he does not require her disclose the information," he said.
"Given that the Labor member knew she was running for Parliament, why did she leave it so late?
"If it is no excuse that you didn't know that you were a dual citizen and you get disqualified, then knowing that you are a dual citizen, but leaving it too late, one would assume is also no excuse."
Ms Keay said she would wait to see what agreement Bill Shorten and Mr Turnbull came to over the citizen mess before taking any action.
“I do not think that Turnbull’s proposal is satisfactory and will let Liberal MPs who haven’t followed the rules like I have, off the hook,” she said.
“Labor wants the process to be as rigorous and transparent as possible and once it’s agreed to I’m more than happy to participate in the final process.”
Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said Senator Abetz’s demand for documents to be released exhibited “breathtaking hypocrisy.”
He said Senator Abetz did not release documentation clarifying his own citizenship status until the morning of a High Court challenge requiring this in 2010.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he understood Ms Keay acknowledged she was a British citizen at the time she was nominated.
“So that obviously creates a real issue,”
“She's ticked a box which says she's in compliance with section 44 (1) … and she said she was a citizen of another country.
“So that's going to involve, if she wishes to maintain her position in the Parliament and not resign, that's going to involve some considerable legal debate.”
