‘Dual-citizenship’ fiasco embroils New Zealand

Bloomberg

Australia’s game of tit-for-tat party politics took a diplomatic turn on Tuesday, with New Zealand drawn into a row over whether Deputy Leader Barnaby Joyce should
be thrown out of parliament amid revelations he has dual citizenship.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop accused New Zealand’s main opposition Labour party of conspiring to undermine Australia’s government by helping to expose Joyce as a New Zealand citizen. Labour leader Jacinda Ardern rejected Bishop’s claims, and said she had contacted the Australian High Commission to register her disappointment.
Such diplomatic squabbling is unusual between two nations that typically enjoy close ties, and reveals the intense pressure Australia’s government is under. The constitution bars dual citizens from holding a seat in the national parliament and if Joyce, 50, is barred, the government could lose its tenuous one-seat majority.
Joyce, who was born in Australia after his father emigrated from New Zealand, told parliament on Tuesday he’d received verbal confirmation that his renouncement of his New Zealand citizenship had been accepted. He said on Monday he won’t step down as deputy leader or from his ministerial portfolios and has referred the matter to the High Court.
Joyce is the highest profile lawmaker caught up in questions over citizenship, with four of the country’s 76 senators in the upper house also referred to the High Court. Senator Matt Canavan resigned from the Cabinet last month amid evidence he may have Italian citizenship.
If the High Court rules that Joyce is ineligible to hold his seat in the lower house, which Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull controls on a knife-edge, a by-election would be called in the district of New England. New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English on Monday was unequivocal about Joyce’s status, saying: “Unwittingly or not, he is a New Zealand citizen.”
New Zealand holds elections on Sept. 23 and Ardern’s appointment as opposition leader earlier this month has enthused her Labour party and eaten into the government’s opinion poll lead. Bishop noted media speculation that
Australia’s Labor party had asked
its New Zealand counterparts to
investigate Joyce’s heritage.
“New Zealand is facing an election,” Bishop told reporters in Canberra. “Should there be a change of government, I would find it very hard to build trust with those involved in allegations designed to undermine the government of Australia.”
Ardern, 37, denied Bishop’s claims of colluding with Australia’s Labor, calling her comments “highly regrettable.” “I knew absolutely nothing about the Barnaby Joyce case until it broke in the media yesterday afternoon,” she said in a statement on Tuesday. “I greatly value New Zealand’s relationship with the Australian government. I will not let false claims stand in the way of that relationship.”