Australian taxpayers will soon for footing a $7.6 million bill for four by-elections sparked by four MPs failing to understand how being dual British citizens made them ineligible to sit in federal parliament.

Labor MPs Susan Lamb, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson all dramatically resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon.

Minor party MP Rebekha Sharkie, who was elected in 2016, also quit after the High Court found Labor senator Katy Gallagher was ineligible to sit in federal parliament because she is a dual Briton.

The resignation of those four MPs will cost taxpayers $7.6 million for by-elections that could have easily paid for 101 registered nurses or 115 teachers, even though a general election is likely to be held by May next year.

The four first-term MPs, who failed to realise being dual British citizenship disqualified them from sitting in parliament, had base salaries of $203,000.

A fifth by-election is also set to be held in coming months, after first-term Labor MP and Opposition frontbencher Tim Hammond resigned so he could spend more time with his young children.

His resignation from parliament, less than two years after being elected, means Australian taxpayers will be spending $9.4 million on half a dozen by-elections, which could pay for 127 registered nurses or 144 teachers.

By-elections in Australia are typically expensive, costing an average of $1.9 million, figures from the Australian Electoral Commission show.

In another insult to voters, the federal MPs who signalled they would quit over their dual citizenship will be able to use their taxpayer entitlements until they formally resigned in writing.

Leader of the House Christopher Pyne asked Speaker Tony Smith on Wednesday to ensure the four MPs who declared they were resigning did not use their travel and other entitlements any longer.

Mr Pyne said the MPs had publicly indicated they were not eligible to be in parliament and 'as a consequence they should not be able to use their entitlements'.

However, Tony Smith said they would continue to be MPs, and allowed to use their entitlements, until they wrote to him with their resignations, which was expected on Friday.

Mr Smith said the Special Minister of State was responsible for entitlements.

'I don't have the power to dismiss members from the House and I don't think the House would like me to have that power,' the Speaker said.

A half-Senate election has to be held by May next year, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Wednesday hinted that was his plan.

'The next election will be in the first half of next year,' he said.

A series of by-elections would see voters in Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia heading to the polls twice in less than a year.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott's former chief-of-staff Peta Credlin hinted a general election could even by held the end of this year.

'Believe or not, now see why a poll this year is looking more and more likely?’,' she said in The Australian.

That sentiment was echoed by former Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who said Treasurer Scott Morrison had handed down an 'election year budget'.

'This is all makeup. It won’t stay on for too long before the mascara smudges,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

Senator Gallagher, who was disqualified by the High Court, had claimed she took all reasonable steps to renounce her British citizenship before the election, but was still a British citizen when the writs were issued.

The 48-year-old former Australian Capital Territory chief minister, who became the ACT's lone Labor senator in 2015, was born in Canberra in 1970 but her mother was born in Ecuador, which was a British colony at the time of her birth.

Like her, the lower house Labor MPs who resigned from parliament are also dual Britons although their cases hadn't been tested in the High Court in Canberra.

First-term Labor MP Susan Lamb won the outer northern Brisbane seat of Longman by a 0.8 per cent margin, or just 1,390 votes, at the 2016 election by defeating junior minister Wyatt Roy.

She faces a tough challenge to keep her seat although she indicated she would renounce her British citizenship and contest the upcoming by-election.

'I am not done yet. I intend to be back,' Ms Lamb told parliament on Wednesday.

In February, Ms Lamb's stepmother Maureen Cant questioned the MP's tearful claim in parliament she could not renounce her British citizenship because her mother abandoned her at the school gates when she was six, and was 'not around' to provide her marriage certificate to her biological father, who was British.

Fellow first-term Labor MP Justine Keay, who won Braddon in Tasmania's north-west, by a narrow 2.2 per cent margin, has also indicated she will run at the upcoming by-election.

'I want to make it very clear to every member of my community and every member of this house that I am not done working and fighting on behalf of those who sent me here,' she told parliament on Wednesday.

Rebekha Sharkie, who won the Adelaide Hills-based electorate of Mayo off the Liberal Party at the last election, also quit parliament over concern she was a dual Briton.

This will spark a by-election in the Adelaide Hills seat of Mayo, where the Nick Xenophon Team candidate defeated former Liberal minister Jamie Briggs with a massive 17.5 per cent swing.

Ms Sharkie, who is now with the Central Alliance, faces a strong challenge from the Turnbull Government in the previously safe Liberal electorate once held by former foreign minister Alexander Downer.

Her resignation came just six months after her NXT colleague Skye Kakoschke-Moore resigned from the Senate after the High Court found she was a dual British citizen.

In Fremantle, south of Perth, first-term Labor MP Josh Wilson is also a dual Brit, however this seat would be unlikely to be picked up by the Liberals in an upcoming by-election despite the 7.5 per cent margin.

'Until today's decision the reasonable steps test had been accepted for more than 25 years in this country,' Mr Wilson told the House of Representatives.

Senator Gallagher's replacement in the upper house will come from Labor under a 1977 constitutional change, which means her disqualification won't spark a by-election.

The Turnbull Government was returned to power with a bare one-seat majority in July 2016 so a by-election in either in Longman or Braddon could help the Coalition boost its numbers in the House of Representatives.

Since July last year, section 44 of the constitution, which bans dual citizens from being federal members of parliament, has ended the political careers of former Greens senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam.

The citizenship fiasco has also seen crossbench firebrand Jacqui Lambie kicked out of the Senate along with former deputy Nationals leader Fiona Nash and former Liberal Senate president Stephen Parry, for being dual citizens of the United Kingdom by descent.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and Liberal MP John Alexander, a former tennis champion, resigned from the House of Representatives last year but were returned in December by-elections, after they discovered they had ties to New Zealand and Britain through their fathers. </s> Millions Of Voters Turn Out For Philippines' Midterm Elections

Voters went to the polls in the Philippines Monday to choose half of the country's Senate, and its entire House of Representatives. The election is widely seen as a referendum on President Duterte. </s> Voters go to the polls in the Philippines Monday to choose half of the country's Senate, and its entire House of Representatives. The election is widely seen as a referendum on President Duterte. </s> Australia 2019 elections: Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten go head-to-head in close battle

Australia 2019 elections: Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten go head-to-head in close battle

More than 16 million Australians are eligible to head to the polls on Saturday to select the democratic country's eighth prime minister.

The country has seen six changes of prime minister over 12 years, which is mostly the result of infighting in both major parties.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, leader of the Liberal-National Coalition government, is hoping to win a third three-year term against the Labor opposition, led by Bill Shorten.

Mr Morrison, who replaced Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister last August, hopes that tax cuts and the Australian economy will be enough to secure his position in office.

All 151 seats in the House of Representatives, known as the lower house, and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate, the upper house, will be up for election.

Both parties have promised that whoever is elected prime minister will lead the country until voters next choose - most likely in three years' time.

Here is a round up of what you need to know about the elections:

Voting will take place on Saturday to elect members of the 46th parliament of Australia.

Polling stations will be open between 8am and close at 6pm in each state. They are typically located at schools, churches or other community buildings.

All voting will be complete by 8pm when polls close in Western Australia.

Who is the favourite?

The election sees the current prime minister, Scott Morrison, go against Labor Party leader Bill Shorten.

Both candidates are seeking an outright majority in the 151-seat House of Representatives to win office.

For the past two years, opinion polls have consistently put Labor ahead of Mr Morrison's Liberal Party-led coalition.

The opposition Labor Party retained a narrow lead over Mr Morrison's government in a poll conducted by Newspoll on 13 May, putting Labor ahead of the Liberal-National coalition - 51% against 49%.

The government has remained behind since.

The poll revealed that 44% were satisfied with Mr Morrison's performance and 44% were dissatisfied for a net zero approval.

Mr Shorten's net approval was up eight points to -10, which was his best net approval since 2015.

However Mr Shorten, who has been the Labor Party leader since 2013, is not particularly popular with Australians.

While Labor has beaten the ruling coalition in more than 50 consecutive Newspoll surveys, Mr Shorten's approval ratings still trail behind Mr Morrison's.

The latest poll showed only 35% of respondents thought Mr Shorten would make the better prime minister.

Mr Shorten has blamed his position as opposition leader for his popularity problem.

He has said: "When you're the opposition leader, the only time you get on the media is by opposing... when you're prime minister, you can be constructive."

... A little more about the incumbent PM

The incumbent prime minister Scott Morrison has been leading the Liberals since August 2018 after taking power when the party turned against former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

A member of the House of Representatives since 2007, he was previously an immigration minister where he implemented tough policies on asylum seekers, before he was promoted to treasurer in 2015.

Saturday's elections will determine whether Mr Morrison can maintain his shaky grip on power or whether the centre-left Labor party will return to office after six years in opposition.

Mr Morrison said on Friday the election result "is going to be incredibly close".

When will the results be announced?

Preliminary counting of votes will begin at polling stations straight after they close.

The winner for the lower house, which forms the government, will most likely be known on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning.

However, there were reports that the election result could be delayed due to the very large number of pre-poll votes already cast.

Australian electoral commissioner Tom Rogers warned that the early votes will stretch the resources of the Australian Electoral Commission and create more complexity around counting on Saturday.

"It's a huge logistic activity; we'll be doing our very best, but there may well be some delays on the night," he told ABC.

Who needs what to win?

Seventy-six of the 151 lower house seats are needed to an overall majority.

As it stands, the ruling coalition is on 73 and Labor is on 69.

To win a majority, either the coalition or Labor must win 76 or more seats.

The coalition won the 2016 election with 76 of the 150 seats to 69 for Labor, however Labor later gained 14 seats.

Labor is expected to do better in terms of seats as a result of these gains.

How does the vote work?

When voting, Australians must number their choice of candidates when choosing 150 members of the lower house and some 76 seats of the upper house.

A number "1" next to a candidate's name is considered a first preference.

The contender who receives more than 50% of the total first preference votes is declared the winner.

If nobody receives at least 50% in first preference votes, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.

The votes would then be distributed to the remaining hopefuls based on the second preferences until a candidate reaches 50%.

Electoral authorities aim to make voting quick and simple without the long queues that are characteristic in other countries.

Australia enforces compulsory voting to ensure high rates of participation and more than 16 million Australians are eligible to vote in Saturday's elections.

Could there be a hung parliament?

Labor's quest for a majority could be ousted if independents perform strongly.

Currently, there are seven crossbenchers (independent or minor party members) and there could be more if for example the Greens win more seats in Victoria.

If there is a hung parliament, the party that can negotiate with the crossbenchers the best, and gain support to gain 76 seats, will form government.

What are the parties' policy differences?

The policy differences between the two major parties have been described as the widest divide at a federal contest in 26 years.

Promoting a "mood for change", Labor is regarded as pursuing a "big target strategy" with a diverse range of policies aimed at creating a more equitable society under the slogan "A Fair Go for Australia" - which is an Australian colloquialism for providing justice.

The coalition is promising a steady course in uncertain times under the banner "Building Our Economy, Securing Your Future".

Mr Morrison has warned voters that Australia's slowing economy would be harmed by Labor's ambitious agenda.

Opinion polls show that climate change has become a major concern for Australian voters.

Labor has pledged to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Morrison's coalition government has committed to reduce emissions by 26% to 28% by 2030. It warned that Labor's ambitious target would wreck the economy.

Tax, refugees and Australia's relationship with China have also proven to be contentious issues. </s> The majority of American voters, 56%, disapprove of the Republican health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

Only 17% of voters approve of the plan and 26% are undecided. The question — “There is a Republican health care plan to replace Obamacare, known as the American Health Care Act. Do you approve or disapprove of this Republican health care plan?” — did not go into specifics of the plan.

“Replacing Obamacare will come with a price for elected representatives who vote to scrap it, say many Americans, who clearly feel their health is in peril under the Republican alternative,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the poll.

Most voters, 61%, also disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling health care.

The President and Republican leaders are scrambling for a deal on landmark legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. Republicans can’t lose more than 21 members of their party and still pass the bill, since no Democrats are expected to support it.

One out of every seven Americans — 14% — believes they will lose their health insurance under the Republicans’ replacement plan.

And the plan doesn’t enjoy majority support among Republicans, with only 41% backing the bill.

Nearly half of voters, or 46%, say they will be less likely to vote for their US senator or representative if he or she votes to replace Obamacare with the Republican health care plan.

Nearly one in five say they will be more likely to vote for their lawmaker if he or she supports the replacement plan. And 29% said they vote won’t matter.

Most men, 56%, disapprove of the plan as do most women, also 56%. While more than half of white voters disapprove of the plan, even more non-white voters — 64% — disapprove.

Overall, 58% of independent voters disapprove of the replacement plan.

Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,056 voters nationwide from March 16 to 21. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. Live interviewers called landlines and cell phones. </s> Cory Bernardi's Australian Conservatives to amalgamate with Family First

The Australian Conservatives party, represented in the Senate by Cory Bernardi, will amalgamate with the Family First Party, the ABC understands.

Family First has two representatives in the South Australian Parliament who will become Australian Conservatives instead.

But the ABC understands newly elected Family First senator Lucy Gichuhi will not be part of the merged party.

Earlier this year, Senator Bernardi quit the Liberal Party to set up the Australian Conservatives party.

The decision to amalgamate the two parties means a significant consolidation of the conservative movement nationally.

It is understood to have been ratified by executives from Family First who have resolved not to keep the party going at state or federal level and to instead join with Senator Bernardi's new party.

When Family First is wound up, the party's resources will go to the Australian Conservatives.

Senator Bernardi is the federal parliamentary leader of the Australian Conservatives.

In South Australia, Dennis Hood and Robert Brokenshire, who are both members of the State Upper House, will switch from Family First to representing the Australian Conservatives.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the amalgamation was a natural fit.

"My sense is that it was inevitable," he told Sky News.

Mr Day's election to the Senate at last year's poll was ruled invalid by the High Court after it was found a property he owned had been leased to the Commonwealth, contrary to law.

Mr Dutton said the merged group would mainly have influence in South Australia, comparing it to One Nation's strength in Queensland.

"You're seeing most of these movements contained within state boundaries," he said.

He said the Government would continue to work with crossbenchers regardless of their party allegiances. </s> The Italian election 2018 in which voters will elect the 945 members of the parliament for the 18th legislature since 1948 will take place on Sunday, March 4 2018. In Italy, elections for MPs and Senators take place every five years - with 630 members of the Camera dei Deputati (lower chamber) and 315 of the Camera del Senato (the Senate/upper house) vying to retain and regain a seat this weekend. On election day this Sunday, polls will be open from 7am until 11pm across the country (6am until 10pm GMT). The first exit polls should be published immediately after and the votes are expected to be fully counted around 2pm on Monday local time (3pm GMT).

However, the first actual results could be released in the early hours of Monday, according to media reports. Everyone over 18-years-old gets a vote - but only people over 25 can elect representatives in the upper chamber. Voters are presented with two sheets of paper, one to choose members of the lower chamber and one to choose the ones of the upper one. The upper chamber also has a small portion of people ( a vita, senators for life) who can’t be elected but are appointed by the President for specific merits and retain their seats for their life. i.e. Architect Renzo Piano is a Senatore a vita.

People aged between 18-24 can only vote for members of the lower chamber. Under Italian law, opinion polls are not allowed in the final two weeks before the vote. Polling data has now been suspended ahead of next week’s vote - but an Index poll from February 2018 seems to show the clear winners this week. Berlusconi’s centre-right party Forza Italia is currently in a pre-election coalition with the Northern League and the post- Brothers of Italy (FDI).

This coalition has the best chance of forming a government with the Index poll suggesting the group could take 295 seats. The coalition partners have agreed that the party that gets the most votes will then get to choose the candidate for Prime Minister. Out of the three parties, Forza Italia is currently in the lead in the polls but Berlusconi will not be allowed to take public office as he remains barred after a tax fraud conviction in 2013. In Italy’s general election in 2013, the first exit polls correctly indicated the Democratic Party had enough votes to win. But those same polls also overstated how much support the Democrats would receive and underestimated the votes for the populist, eurosceptic Five Star Movement. </s> Midterm election voting will be taking place tomorrow on November 6, as the country decides the composition of Congress. The battle is between the Democrat and Republican parties, for the House of Representatives and the Senate, the two chambers of Congress. In the currently Republican heavy House of Representatives, each one of the 435 seats are up for reelection and a further 35 are available in the Senate. This gives the Democrats a chance to flip Congress and grasp a majority for themselves, which could ultimately put a hold on Donald Trump’s powers.

Who will win in the Senate? The Senate race is the less difficult to call of the two Congress chambers, as only 35 seats are up for reelection. This means only a third of the 100 total seats are up for a replacement. Of these seats, 23 Democrat seats are safe from election and 42 Republican seats are safe. Turning over the incumbent Senate majority is an unlikely outcome when Democrats are defending many more seats.

At the moment Republican dominance is reflected in the polls too, as they are higher billed for Senate positions over the Democrats. In order to win control of the Senate, the Democrats will need to capture over 50 seats, making the majority. Pollsters FiveThirtyEight gathered a selection of different polls to forecast the possible composition of the Senate. Their findings pointed towards an 85.6 percent chance of a Republican majority in the Senate come election day. The chances of the Democrats gaining a majority are on 14.4 percent, but chances are also on the party gaining at least two seats from this round of elections.

Who will win in the house of Representatives? The House of Representatives has a full 435 seats up for reelection, meaning the entire composition of the chamber is up for replacement. Either party could claim a majority if they had the power behind them, which should have made the race a close call. Early voting has revealed a massive turnout for the 2018 midterms and this has come in favour of the Democrats. A partnership between USA TODAY and Suffolk University in polling the midterm elections have found large voter turnout is due to Donald Trump’s leadership. </s> Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the 2019 federal election.

 

In a press conference on Thursday, 11 April, Mr Morrison confirmed weeks of speculation announcing that the election for Saturday, 18 May.

The Prime Minister framed the election as “a clear choice” about how the nation will be managed for the next three years.

Mr Morrison met the Govenor General Sir Peter Cosgrove at Government House in Yarralumla.

 

Uniting Church President Dr Deirdre Palmer has previously called on Uniting Church members to consider the wider community in the lead up to the election.

 

“As the contest for hearts and minds begins ahead of this year’s Federal Election, I urge Australians to give priority to justice, compassion and inclusion,” said Dr Palmer.

 

Electoral rolls will close on 18 April, meaning that first time voters and those who have moved since the last election have a week to get enrolled or update their details on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website. 

 

Candidates have until Tuesday, 23 April to nominate for either the House or Senate. 



The House of Representatives is set to gain an additional electorate, bringing the total number of seats to 151.

 

Micah Australia have conducted a number of pre-election forums on Australia’s aid program.

 

The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly has released the vision statement, Our Vision for a Just Australia. It outlines the church’s vision for Australian society in an election year.



Image credit: ABC News.



Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor
Voters in Australia go to the polls to elect new members of the House of Representatives and half of the Senate.