Bill Shorten refused to agree to release documents proving he has renounced his British citizenship eight times during a testy and awkward appearance on last night’s Q&A.

The federal opposition leader copped a grilling from host Tony Jones as talk on the ABC chat show turned to the growing citizenship scandal that has so far engulfed seven MPs.

Mr Shorten, whose father was born in England, had earlier told reporters that he had renounced his British citizenship in 2006.

But Mr Shorten refused to be pinned down on whether he would agree to release the documents to prove it, despite repeated attempts by Jones to press him on the matter.

“We don’t think we live in a nation where if someone makes an accusation you have to prove everything you say,” Mr Shorten said in response to Jones’ questioning. “I know I renounced my British citizenship.”

“Do you have the documents? Can you release them if necessary?” Jones asked again.

Mr Shorten responded that he had renounced his citizenship when he made plans to run for parliament.

Again Jones persisted: “So you've got the documents?” to which Mr Shorten replied “we've done all of that”.

Mr Shorten hit out at the Liberals for demanding ALP members' release documents.

“Just because a Liberal makes an accusation doesn't mean the rest of us have to start searching through the filing cabinets,” he said.

With Jones refusing to budge from his line of questioning, an increasingly testy Mr Shorten resorted to drawing comparisons with Donald Trump’s demands for Barack Obama to release his birth certificate.

“In America ... they keep making allegations after allegations,” Mr Shorten said.

“Barack Obama had to produce his birth certificate and then they said it was a fake. Some people are never going to be satisfied.

“I know what I am. We have a screening process. I’ve been cleared four times.

“What is the case to release (documents)? The High Court will resolve it.”

The citizenship scandal has left Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s one seat majority hanging in the balance after deputy Nationals leader Senator Nash became the latest from the Coalition to engulfed in the scandal on Friday.

The High Court will hold a directions hearing on Thursday in the cases of Senator Matthew Canavan, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts and Greens senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters.

The government believes the court may not hand down any decisions until October.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2017

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/08/22/08/52/bill-shorten-refuses-to-reveal...

The author of that article must have been watching a different Q&A. 

I saw the one on ABC last night and there was no squirming by Shorten.  He hold his position of......we don't have to jump just because the Libs or anyone else throws an accusation.

He also made the point that Labor had made no accusation concerning any MP.  It was, he confirmed, the MPs themselves who raised the issue and caused the eventual High Court referral.

Yes, i thought Shorten held his ground quite well.  Perhaps if the Coalition MPs and Senators who actually HAVE their citizenship in doubt actually had the moral fortitude to step aside until it was resolved, then you would have a point AP.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2017 at 10:47am:


Then let the Coalition, as the governing party ,show the leadership they purport to have and stand their MPs and Senators aside and require Labor to do the same.

Vic wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2017 at 10:58am:



I cant remember how many.. but there were heaps of threads on Tony Abbotts claim he cancelled his british citiz.. there might have been hundreds......and then he received the paperwork in 2015.....confirming what he had claimed..

and then they shut up...

I wonder which side was making all that noise about a dual citizenship then...

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2017 at 11:14am:



oh dear you are so desperate   isnt it bad enough you support areshole shorten    I wouldnt want everyone to know something like that to be honest...

ok I know you lefties dont do "honest"  the more crooked the better it would seem..

Why doesn't Bill Shorten just prove his eligibility and be done with it???

philperth2010 wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2017 at 11:30am:


No need , labor vette their candidates