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New Year, Fresh Chaos in Australia's Dual-Nationality Imbroglio

New Year, Fresh Chaos in Australia's Dual-Nationality Imbroglio

(Bloomberg) -- The dual-nationality fiasco that dominated Australian politics last year is set to roll on in 2018, with another lawmaker quitting parliament because of citizenship with another country.

The good news for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is that the latest politician to fall foul of the constitution belongs to the opposition Labor party, not his own Liberal National coalition.

David Feeney, 47, quit Thursday after saying he couldn’t find documents proving that he had tried to renounce his British citizenship and was not in violation of Australia’s constitution, which demands lawmakers belong to no other nations. He’s the first Labor member of the lower house to become embroiled in a saga that temporarily cost the government its one-seat majority.

Feeney’s resignation will trigger a special election in his Melbourne-based seat of Batman, which Labor may struggle to retain. The ruling coalition is also unlikely to win the seat and the outcome shouldn’t materially affect the workings of parliament.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason Scott in Canberra at jscott14@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Brendan Scott

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