Qualifications of Members

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Watson MP Tony Burke (Labor), whcih means it failed.

Motion text

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for Watson from moving the following motion forthwith:

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) yesterday, this House unanimously asked the High Court to determine whether the Deputy Prime Minister is constitutionally qualified to be a Member of Parliament;

(b) yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed "The Deputy Prime Minister, is qualified to sit in this House, and the High Court will so hold" despite confirmation from the Prime Minister of New Zealand that the Deputy Prime Minister is in fact a New Zealand citizen; and

(c) today in Question Time, the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed he was a citizen of a foreign power prior to the weekend; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to;

(a) come clean with the Australian people and acknowledge that the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia is ineligible to hold office;

(b) rule out accepting the vote of the Deputy Prime Minister while his constitutional qualifications are in doubt; and

(c) direct the Deputy Prime Minister to immediately resign from Cabinet.