If you were to take Australian law to the letter, then there would not be a single
Australian citizen qualified to serve in that country’s Parliament.
Amid the dual citizenship scandal involving a number of Australian MPs, a Sydney
barrister has claimed that, a section of the federal constitution could arguably
disqualify everyone from parliament… and New Zealand is to blame for that.
In a blog post on the Huffington Post, barrister Robert Angyal pointed out that section
44 of the Australian Constitution states that anyone “under any acknowledgement of
allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or a citizen or
entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power” would be
disqualified from serving in federal parliament.
“Under recent and little-noticed changes to New Zealand law, Australian citizens now
don’t need a visa to live, study or work in the Land of the Long White Cloud. That’s right:
Any Australian citizen is entitled to live, study and work there,” he said.
“That means we’re all entitled to the rights and privileges of a subject of New Zealand –
not a citizen, with the attached rights and privileges such as voting – but to be a subject
of that country, living there, subject to New Zealand law, working or studying. And
there’s no doubt that New Zealand is a foreign power.”
According to Angyal, if section 44 were to be taken into account, no Australian would be
eligible to be an Australian MP.
He went on to explain that it’s not about using those rights and privileges of a foreign
power as you only need to be entitled to those rights and privileges.
“New Zealand law has made every Australian citizen incapable of being elected to, or
serving in, the Australian Parliament. It’s not just Barnaby Joyce: It’s everyone,” he
added.
Kuo fakahā ʻe ha loea ki he Ongoongo ʻa e Huffington Post kapau ʻe fusiaʻu e lao ʻa Nuʻu SIla ne toki fai hono liliú ʻe iku fakataʻeʻaongaʻi kotoa e mēmipa ʻa e kau fakafakafofonga Fale Alea ʻo e Fale Alea fakatahataha ʻa ʻAositelēliá
Ko e fakaʻuhinga ʻa e loeá ni ʻoku makatuʻunga ʻi he kupu 44 ʻo e konisitūtone ʻa ʻAositelēliá.
Kupu 44 e konisitutone ʻa ʻAositelēliá ʻoku tuʻutuʻuni ia ai ki he kau Mēmipa Fale Alea ʻa e Fale Alea Fakatahataha ʻo e konitinēnití ni , kapau e ʻi ai hano faʻahinga fakamahino ʻoku nau poupou ki ha taha, kulupu pe faʻahinga tui, talangofua pe piki pe tukupā ki ha taha, faʻahinga meʻa ke fakahoko pe faʻahinga tui ʻa ha puleʻanga muli, pe kuo nau hoko kinautolu ko e kau sitiseni pe maʻu ʻa e ngaahi totonu pe monūʻia ʻo ha taha pe sitiseni ʻo ha puleʻanga muli ʻe fakataʻeʻaongaʻi leva haʻanau hoko ʻakinautolu ia ko ha mēmipa Fale Alea ʻi he Fale Alea fakatahataha ʻo ʻAositelēia.
Sai ne ʻi ai leva hano liliu ha foʻi lao ia ʻa Nuʻu Sila ki mui ni mai ʻoku peheni ia. ʻOku ʻikai toe fie maʻu ki he kakai tuʻufonua pe sitiseni ʻAositelēliá ia ke nau kole haʻanau visa ke nofo ʻi Nuʻu Sila, ako pe ngāue ai. ʻOsi ʻotomētiki pe ʻenau maʻu ʻa e totonu mo e monūʻia kotoa ko iá ʻi heʻenau hoko ko ē ko e sitiseni ʻAositelēliá.
Kuo hanga leva ʻe he loea pe ko e pālesitoa ko Robert Angyal ʻo fakaʻuhingaʻi ʻe fihia kotoa ʻa e kau Mēmipa Fale Alea ʻAositelēlia he foʻi lao ʻa Nuu Sila ko ʻení .
ʻE taʻeʻaonga leva ʻenau Memipa Fale Aleá koeʻuhi, he kuo nau hoko kinautolu ʻi he lao Nuʻu Sila ko ʻeni ke nau poupou mo talangofua pe piki mo maʻu ʻa e ngaahi monūʻia ʻo Nuʻu Silá ʻa ia ko ha fonua muli foki ia.