On the 14th of July, 2014 Senator Scott Ludlam of the resigned from the Federal Parliament after discovering that he was a dual citizen of New Zealand by descent. In 1996 One Nation Senator Heather Hill was declared ineligible to sit in the Senate as she still held British Citizenship. Nigel Scullion almost fell afoul of the same restriction.

This rule exists as a result of section 44 of the Australian Constitution which states that members are disqualified if that person:

Is under any acknowledgment 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:

This rule has been interpreted in the years since to mean that one cannot stand for parliament if they are a dual citizen.

This rule does not apply at the state or local levels. Australians and other Commonwealth citizens are eligible to vote in British elections without even attaining British citizenship.

Australians should be entitled to choose their elected representatives without regard to whether or not they are dual-citizens.

Sign this petition to ask all of the members of our federal parliament to support a referendum asking the Australian people to end this unintended consequence of a rule written over 100 years ago which prevents us from choosing who we want to represent us in parliament.