As Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the federal election on Thursday, Australians farewelled the 45th parliament and one of the most chaotic, and at times, strangest chapters in political history.
Here are some of the most memorable moments.
When Australia was embroiled in a dual citizenship crisis
It all started to say the politician may have been ineligible to be elected to parliament because he was also a Kiwi.
A funny old rule that meant Australians holding office suddenly came into the spotlight, and rocked the entire establishment.
Mr Ludlam quit, sending a ripple through the parliament that inevitably saw more than a dozen senators and MPs step down or be kicked out by the High Court for being dual citizens.
A funny old rule that meant Australians holding office suddenly came into the spotlight, and rocked the entire establishment.
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam announces he is leaving federal parliament after finding out he was improperly elected. Source: AAP
Mr Ludlam quit, sending a ripple through the parliament that inevitably saw more than a dozen senators and MPs step down or be kicked out by the High Court for being dual citizens.
The government briefly lost its slim majority in the Lower House when Liberal John Alexander had to resign after discovering he was also Brit. It also claimed the political scalp of then-deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who was forced into a by-election but eventually won back his seat.
Barnaby Joyce is making the most of his freedom on the backbench to speak out against climate change action. Source: AAP
As every parliamentarian rushed to check whether they were inadvertent citizens of another country - whether by birth, marriage or parental rights - Australia was debating whether the rule was outdated in a modern multicultural society.
But rules are rules - and this one still stands.
When Barnaby Joyce’s affair led to a ‘bonk ban’
Shortly after regaining his seat of New England in December 2017, it emerged Mr Joyce had been having an affair with a staff member who was now pregnant with his child.
The affair with Vikki Campion led to the breakdown of Mr Joyce’s more than decade long marriage, . It also led then-prime minister - preventing members of parliament from having relationships with staff members.
When it happened to another Nationals MP
When news of Mr Joyce’s affair emerged, Nationals MP Andrew Broad sent a very telling tweet criticising Mr Joyce for the affair and not-so-subtly calling for his resignation.
“Quote from the late Billy Graham 'when wealth is lost, nothing is lost; health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost'... telling words for the Leadership of the National Party”, Mr Broad tweeted.
اندرو برود پس از رسوایی جنسیاش مجبور به استعفا شد Source: AAP
A year later, of an affair after it was alleged the married MP had been on a ‘sugar baby’ website and met up with a woman while on a trip to Hong Kong.
The episode was exposed by the woman he’d apparently courted, who told a gossip magazine the politician referred to himself as James Bond as well as attempting to make the word “G’day” sound sexy.
Mr Broad said the AFP were investigating the matter and announced , later telling his local newspaper the meet-up was a “dumb mistake”.
To be continued...
