Citizenship through marriage the latest threat to MPs

Parliament's citizenship saga now has another layer of complexity with the possibility some MPs may unwittingly have dual citizenship through marriage.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at a ceremony to commemorate Remembrance Day during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at a ceremony to commemorate Remembrance Day during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum Source: AAP

Yet another Turnbull government MP may be ineligible for parliament, with Nola Marino possibly having Italian citizenship through marriage.

Fairfax reports on Saturday that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's plan for a new disclosure regime to end the citizenship uncertainty may have a gap, with dual citizenship through marriage not under consideration.

Ms Marino married her husband Carmelo 'Charlie' Marino in Western Australia in 1972.
He is a Italian citizen by birth, but if he naturalised as an Australian before 1972, he would have lost his Italian citizenship and not have automatically passed it onto his wife.

It is the latest in an ongoing saga which may see Australians in half a dozen federal seats sent back to the polls for by elections.

On Friday Mr Turnbull received Greens support to refer all MPs with "legitimate question marks" over their citizenship to the High Court.

But the Greens will still push ahead with a motion in the Senate on Monday to set up an independent audit of all 226 MPs to end the citizenship crisis and restore stability.

The prime minister has proposed that all MPs lodge details, on a public register, of their family history and renunciation of foreign citizenship by December 7.


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2 min read
Published 11 November 2017 2:30am
Updated 11 November 2017 12:05pm


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