Dual Citizenship Scandal in Australia: A Constitutional Crisis

The assignment delves into the dual citizenship crisis in Australia, focusing on the constitutional implications and the impact of this scandal on Australian politics. The paper discusses the background of the issue, the pattern of reporting in various media, and the public's reaction through social media. It also references key sources and provides a conclusion, highlighting the significance of this event in Australian political history.

Running Head: DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCANDAL IN AUSTRALIA
DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCANDAL IN AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

1DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCANDAL IN AUSTRALIA
Introduction
Barnaby Joyce, Australia's “Deputy Prime Minister”, is confronting the possibility of
being removed from his position and office after the “New Zealand government” reported that he
was a resident of the two nations (McGuirk 2017). For what reason does it make a difference if a
government official has double citizenship? The Australian Constitution forbids it. The report,
ordered on Jan. 1, 1901, incorporates a segment sketching out who can and who can't sit in the
Senate, the upper place of the Australian Parliament (Lewis 2017).
Pattern of reporting in various media
Article 44.1 of the Australian constitution states that “any person who is under
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 citizen of a foreign power shall be
incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of
Representatives.”
In the newspapers the incident was widely reported in two different perspectives, one
where the politicians were supported for holding dual citizenship, and one where the act was
condemned (Lewis 2017). A double citizenship disaster is cutting down some of Australia's most
capable natives. In the course of recent months, one Australian parliamentarian after another has
been pronounced ineligible for office in view of double citizenship.
Named the "world's silliest constitutional crisis" by one neighborhood spectator, the
raising adventure strikes a particularly strange note today, in a nation where one of every four
Australians was conceived abroad. In such a nation such laws must be obsolete (Abc.net.au
2017). This was the view majorly in the social media circulating around. Social media mostly

2DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCANDAL IN AUSTRALIA
spoke in favor of the politicians. However as always, dissent was seen in various platforms of the
new media.
Conclusion
Many noted citizens and famous faces from Australia took to social media and micro
blogging sites to demand the elimination of the law. The new media consisting of internet
mediums is one of the most vocal places of opinion exchange. The issue was widely debated.

3DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCANDAL IN AUSTRALIA
References
Abc.net.au., 2017. Fact file: The dual citizenship crisis. [online] ABC News. Available at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-06/fact-file-the-dual-citizenship-scandal/9147418
[Accessed 16 Mar. 2018].
Lewis, R., 2017. What to Know About the Dual Citizenship Scandal Rocking Australian Politics.
[online] Time. Available at: http://time.com/4898990/australia-dual-citizenship-politicians-joyce/
[Accessed 16 Mar. 2018].
Drury, F., 2017. The UK blogger who shook Australia government. [online] BBC News.
Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-41788390 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018].
McGuirk, R., 2017. Australia's deputy prime minister just lost his role in the most ridiculous
political scandal yet. [online] The Independent. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/barnaby-joyce-australia-deputy-prime-
minister-disqualified-dual-citizenship-high-court-ruling-a8022381.html [Accessed 16 Mar.
2018].