The leader of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party, Senator Pauline Hanson, this week referred her Queensland colleague, Senator Malcolm Roberts, to the High Court, in their capacity as the Court of Disputed Returns, to rule whether he was a dual British and Australian citizen when he nominated for the Senate.
Senator Roberts, the fourth Senator to be referred to the High Court to have their citizenship tested under Section 44 of the Constitution, will most probably argue he took “reasonable steps” to renounce any dual citizenship before he nominated to become a One Nation candidate.
At a train-wreck press conference in Parliament this week, Senator Hanson said, “as the leader of One Nation I have always made it quite clear that there should be the highest level of openness, transparency and accountability in government. I believe that in the interest of the public, this must go before the court of disputed returns”.
