Qualifications of Members

The majority voted against a motion to let a vote on Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's New Zealand citizenship happen.

Motion text

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

That the House:

(1) notes:

(a) this House has unanimously asked the High Court to determine whether the Deputy Prime Minister is constitutionally qualified to be a Member of parliament and thereby to determine if the Government has a majority;

(b) the Deputy Prime Minister has admitted he was a citizen of a foreign power right up until the weekend and has already started campaigning for the New England by-election;

(c) former Minister Matt Canavan has resigned from Cabinet and will not vote in the Senate until the High Court resolves doubts about his constitutional qualifications;

(d) the Prime Minister is continuing to accept the Deputy Prime Minister’s vote in this House even though it means that victims of the banks are denied the Royal Commission they’ve been calling for and Australians continue to have their penalty rates cut; and

(e) the situation with his Deputy Prime Minister is unsustainable; and

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

(a) admit his continued reliance on the Deputy Prime Minister’s vote is causing real harm to the people of Australia;

(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.