The Australian Greens party

[SirRumpole]

Which parliamentarians have dual UK/AU citizenship?

Tony Abbott ?

 

[McLovin]

Tony Abbott ?

Renounced in 1993, before he entered Parliament. Gillard did the same.

Personally, I think that section of the Constitution is outdated.

 

[SirRumpole]

Personally, I think that section of the Constitution is outdated.

I don't think it is, it's up to the candidates to abide by the Constitution, ignorance is no excuse.

However, in cases like Waters when she was born overseas to Australian citizens and returned to Australia when she was a baby (and Canada changed their legislation a week after she left), it's a pretty tough deal.

I hope they don't go after her for her pay.

 

[McLovin]

I don't think it is, it's up to the candidates to abide by the Constitution, ignorance is no excuse.

I'm not suggesting they shouldn't abide by the Constitution, just that the document is 117 years old and dual nationality wasn't a thing back then (Australian nationality didn't even exist – so the UK was not a foreign power in 1901, but in 1998 was considered a foreign power by the High Court). Citizenship acquired by birth shouldn't be a sackable offence unless the person knew or should have reasonably known they had that citizenship. As she had never been to Canada after leaving as an infant and the laws were apparently changed, her assertion that she had no knowledge of her Canadian citizenship seems reasonable and the penalty seems unreasonable, imo.

 

[SirRumpole]

her assertion that she had no knowledge of her Canadian citizenship seems reasonable and the penalty seems unreasonable, imo.

Yes, I agree, but the law is the law and presumably she can now rectify her status and return at a later date.

 

[Boggo]

I don't think it is, it's up to the candidates to abide by the Constitution, ignorance is no excuse.

 

[McLovin]

Yes, I agree, but the law is the law and presumably she can now rectify her status and return at a later date.

Oh, I totally agree with you that she has to go.

The AEC needs to be a bit more thorough in background checking candidates. Four senators ruled invalid is unacceptable.

 

[qldfrog]

Oh, I totally agree with you that she has to go.

The AEC needs to be a bit more thorough in background checking candidates. Four senators ruled invalid is unacceptable.

I would have assumed that checks should be done on candidates, to avoid revoting etc.it is not such a big number

 

[Tisme]

I seem to recall citizenship by decent in the empire/commonwealth countries applied for first gens born overseas and negated citizenship of country of birth if taken up.

The idea was to accommodate overseas postings, vacations etc to third world countries . e.g India, New Zealand, .......

 

[Knobby22]

Oh, I totally agree with you that she has to go.

The AEC needs to be a bit more thorough in background checking candidates. Four senators ruled invalid is unacceptable.

Must be a self reporting system.

 

[Tisme]

Oh, I totally agree with you that she has to go.

The AEC needs to be a bit more thorough in background checking candidates. Four senators ruled invalid is unacceptable.

Apparently there is a fifth polly, but a Member this time.

 

[Boggo]

The loonies shouldn't have upset the commie...

http://www.news.com.au/national/pol...n/news-story/d800454ca5d8741594455573d8cd73ab

 

[drsmith]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...e/news-story/2e4e57e14f0868d269cb865c5826522a

 

[Boggo]

Link to the pdf manual that all new candidates are supposed to read.
Page 14 has the info but the loonies must have got confused before that !

www.aec.gov.au/Elections/candidates/files/candidates-handbook.pdf

 

[Tink]

That's it, Boggo.

They would have had to read it and sign it.

 

[Tisme]

That's it, Boggo.

They would have had to read it and sign it.

Lawyers don't sign anything if they can help it.

 

[dutchie]

They say that the Greens are like watermelons, green on the outside and red on the inside.
I think they are more like green balloons, green on the outside and nothing in the inside.

 

[Boggo]

They say that the Greens are like watermelons, green on the outside and red on the inside.
I think they are more like green balloons, green on the outside and nothing in the inside.

This is an extract from Lee Rhiannon's Wikipedia page...

Rhiannon was born Lee Brown, the daughter of Bill and Freda Brown, who were long-term members of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and later the Soviet-loyal Socialist Party of Australia (SPA).[1] Her parents' membership of the CPA and Lee's membership of the CPA's youth league led to documentation of her life by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) from as early as the age of seven.[2][3] She joined the SPA around 1973.[4]

 

[SirRumpole]

This is an extract from Lee Rhiannon's Wikipedia page...

Rhiannon was born Lee Brown, the daughter of Bill and Freda Brown, who were long-term members of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and later the Soviet-loyal Socialist Party of Australia (SPA).[1] Her parents' membership of the CPA and Lee's membership of the CPA's youth league led to documentation of her life by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) from as early as the age of seven.[2][3] She joined the SPA around 1973.[4]

We all know where Lee Rhiannon comes from, but the fact that she is on the Outer with the mainstream Greens indicates that they don't share her political philosophy and shouldn't be painted with the same brush.

 

[McLovin]

We all know where Lee Rhiannon comes from, but the fact that she is on the Outer with the mainstream Greens indicates that they don't share her political philosophy and shouldn't be painted with the same brush.

The NSW Greens have always been more communist than conservationist. That a Soviet relic like Lee Rhiannon got preselected in NSW says a lot about the NSW Greens.

Political commentator David Burchell from Western Sydney University told 7.30 there is an authoritarian tendency in the NSW branch of the party:

There seems to be a strange part of the culture with the Greens where they view themselves as under attack, they view large parts of the media as their enemies.

The NSW wing of the party is separate from the federal party and the history and culture of Greens parties varies hugely from state to state.

In a closed Facebook group for NSW Greens to confidentially discuss the party a link to our story was posted.

In Cold War style language one Green called for leakers to be identified and punished writing:

Those traitors leaking are attempting to split the party into those believe in our inherently socialist principles and those who see socialism as a political "evil".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-20/duffy-inside-the-secret-civil-war-of-the-nsw-greens/7525874