Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Senator Canavan resigned from cabinet over issues that he claimed he didn't know about. The Deputy Prime Minister has been referred to the High Court for issues that he has known about his whole life. How is it possible that Senator Canavan has had to resign from cabinet but the Deputy Prime Minister has not?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan explained why he resigned as a minister in his statement on 25 July. As I said yesterday in the House, his view is that he should continue to comply with or honour the commitments that he made to the Senate at that time and following. Now, the fact of the matter is this. On our side of the House we have been very up-front about these issues. The Deputy Prime Minister came into the House and disclosed the facts. Senator Canavan disclosed the facts.

On the other hand, the Labor Party, under the leadership of the member for Maribyrnong, takes a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach to citizenship issues. They're not prepared to ask the Deputy Prime Minister a question in this parliament. They'd rather get a member of the New Zealand Labour Party to ask a question in the New Zealand parliament. They'd rather conspire with a political party in a foreign country to try to get admissions, concessions or statements that can be used to undermine the government of this country—a country whose parliament they are in. You would think that the Labor Party of Australia would owe its first loyalty to Australia and that the Labor Party of Australia would be asking questions in the Parliament of Australia, not in the parliament of New Zealand. The reason they did not ask a perfectly straightforward question of the Deputy Prime Minister is that they don't want to tell the story of their own members—so many of them here! Where are the papers? Where is the evidence?

Ms Catherine King interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Ballarat is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where is the evidence of renunciation? Where is the evidence that demonstrates that so many of those opposite do not have dual citizenship? They've been asked by journalists; it's been batted away. The member for Isaacs has been asked. He's assured us that everything is fine. Has he checked the documents? I don't think so. Maybe he has, but the reality is that the Labor Party has an absolute double standard. They will stop at nothing to undermine the government of the Commonwealth of Australia, even to the extent of conspiring with a foreign political party. And they will not fess up to the Australian people and disclose the facts relating to the dual citizenship of any of their members—or not. They can do so: put the cards on the table, produce the documents. How about a little bit of candour and transparency from Labor, just for a change? (Time expired)

Ms Owens interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta is warned as well.