Fraser Anning (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

  (i) the revelations last year of dual citizenship and holding office for profit under the Crown that led to some of those sitting in the Senate to be found to have been ineligible to have been elected,

  (ii) that, in some cases, those concerned knew or might reasonably have been expected to know that they were not entitled to claim to be a senator but still continued to sit in the Senate,

  (iii) that under the circumstances in which an individual knew that they were not entitled to sit in the Senate but continued to collect a salary and allowances as though they were a senator, they have defrauded the Australian people, and

  (iv) that despite being removed from the Senate by order of the High Court sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, some of these individuals who knowingly received remuneration to which they were not entitled are again trying to return to the Senate; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government, in circumstances in which such previously disqualified individuals succeed in returning to the Senate, to impose a garnishee on any remuneration that they would receive as senators in order to recover all salary and allowances previously collected by them for which they had no entitlement.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition will not be supporting this motion. The many cases of eligibility before this parliament are diverse and varied. Each is considered on a case-by-case basis, and the opposition support this approach.

Question negatived.