I planned on beginning this piece with: “The latest MP to fall foul of S44 in the current citizenship saga is Minister for Energy, Josh Frydenberg.”
However, two hours ago I heard that Alex Hawke has now come under scrutiny. Life comes at you fast when you’re a citizen blogger trying to keep up.
The possibility of Frydenberg holding dual citizenship was raised by The Australian, who must have it in for him for reasons I won’t attempt to deconstruct at the moment, except to say he’s a mate of Malcolm’s and Murdoch apparently is not.
Frydenberg responded with strong denials, producing an archival document in which his grandfather states that Josh’s mother, Erika, born in the Budapest ghetto and then aged about seven, was stateless when the family arrived in Australia from Hungary.
There are two more archived documents, one of which was written by Australian authorities when the family arrived at the port of Fremantle in 1950. This states the family is Hungarian, and that they travelled from Hungary on a valid passport. These documents can be seen in the first link at the top of this page.
The final document was issued by US authorities when the family was in transit. It describes Erika as a Hungarian transient, apparently the designation given to Jews by the Hungarian government at that time, and is on the left below.
It seems there are many questions surrounding these documents, given the period in which they were issued. However, for the purposes of establishing citizenship, Frydenberg must, like the other MPs, be referred to the High Court, with all the paperwork available to him.
What is remarkable in this case, however, is that Frydenberg and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have sought to make Frydenberg’s citizenship status all about the Holocaust.
If you haven’t seen Turnbull’s morally degenerate, calculatedly over-dramatised efforts to deflect these citizenship concerns by invoking the gas chambers, please do watch this video. It is a lesson in spin, the like of which you are unlikely to see again anytime soon.
Frydenberg threw his mother, and his family under a bus in an abject and shameful attempt to save his job. There was absolutely no need to drag them through this revisitation of highly traumatic events. He simply had to take himself to the High Court like everyone else, and make his case.
Instead, he and Turnbull have run the line that it is highly offensive, and anti semitic, to even question Frydenberg’s eligibility for parliament, because his Jewish family fled Hungary and the threat of death in the gas chambers, and have suffered enough.
It’s astounding that Frydenberg and Turnbull should attempt to manipulate such overwhelming tragedy for profane political purposes. But they have. Why, one could well ask Frydenberg, did you bring your family into this at all, particularly your mother, when all you had to do was present yourself to the Court with your documents?
The other hideous irony to emerge from Turnbull’s video is that many of the points he makes about the treatment of Jews by the Nazis are absolutely applicable to the treatment he is himself inflicting upon refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. As he attempts to destroy the 600 Manus men by denying them food, water, medicine, and the protection Australia owes them, and as he refuses to allow even 150 of them to be resettled in New Zealand, for no reason other than they might actually make a life there, the Chairman of the New Zealand Holocaust Centre drew these parallels:
We keep wondering how much worse Turnbull and the LNP government can get. And every time we wonder, they descend even deeper into a pit of moral and ethical slime.
But surely, you might well protest, using the gas chambers in an effort keep your job and hold onto government is going to take some beating.
But wait. There’s more. Genocide on Manus Island. There’s still that.
No Place For Sheep 
Here’s the major irony. They try to accuse others of making the WW2 holocaust a reason for accusing Fraudenburg of dual citizenship, But they fail to record that the debate is abou the law, not any sentimental memories of the holocaust.
Ig Fryudenberg is a Hungarian citizen, no matter how he acquired it, he’s breaking the law. That’s what needs to be investigated,
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Precisely, Arthur.
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To be fair, Frydenberg probably acquired the right to claim Hungarian citizenship after he entered Parliament because the Hungarian law that gave him the right to claim citizenship changed quite recently.
Frydenberg and the Liberal Party clearly didn’t check his citizenship status carefully before he was nominated for Parliament, if there had been a thorough check he would have said “At the time of nomination checking showed that I owed allegiance to no other country”
This episode demonstrates the “born-to-rule” party belief that the law doesn’t apply to them. It’s another example of their failure to understand that complex organisations only work successfully when processes are followed.
Frydenberg, Hawke, Banks and Sudmalis have been exposed by Liberal functionaries whereas Ludlum and Joyce were exposed by “concerned citizens”. The Liberal Party looks like it is morphing into a new party
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Frydenberg has another problem. Because he is Jewish he’s entitled to avail himself of Israel’s Law of Return. This allows almost any Jew anywhere in the world (and non Jewish spouses) to reside in Israel and attain citizenship.
According to s44, entitlement to citizenship in another nation state is a barrier to being an MP, even if not taken up.
It took me about 60 seconds to find out how to renounce Israeli citizenship…
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“Law of Return” should be scare quoted, IMO, it’s as fallacious as “Terror Nullis” is here. You can’t return to a place you’ve never been (unless you’re a country singer).
Law changes in other countries are a nightmare for this situation. And it could also be used strategically, by other countries granting citizenship to Australian MPs who annoy them. I would love to see that one in the high court.
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Semantics aside, Moz, its a real thing, and a problem for any Jewish MP in Australia who hasn’t renounced his or her automatic entitlement to Israeli citizenship.
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My understanding is that the right of return can’t be renounced. I’ve had liberal Jewish friends somewhat unhappy about it, but from a quick skim it appears that even if an MP eligible for Aliyah obtained Israeli citizenship for the specific purpose of renouncing it, just doing so would not make them ineligible for a future claim. Amusingly, the solution might be to convert to one of the disowned strands of Judaism and thus become ineligible through apostasy 🙂
It’s also worth noting that Israel will not renounce their claim to a Jewish person just because that person renounces any claim on the state.
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Also, FWIW the same problem applies for many countries that offer birthright citizenship, including Australia. One example is our man Murdoch, who remains eligible for Australian citizenship any time he wants it (he can literally just turn up at a port of arrival… there will be bureaucrazy, but he will almost be re-recognised).
It’s handy for those Australia strips of citizenship and deports, at least insofar as Aotearoa will accept back those born there rather than see them consigned to a camp indefinitely.
But that could be an issue for MPs from those countries – the only way those MPs can escape eligibility is by changing their parents or grandparents.
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I did find a letter of renunciation by a group of Jews, but whether or not that’s accepted by Israel I don’t know.
As far as s44 is concerned, there is provision for situations in which the country will not allow renunciation. Dastyari, for example, took all reasonable steps but Iran does not permit renunciation.
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The Hungarians changed the law in 2009, or 2011, not sure which.
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There is no doubt that order PM has just exposed himself as a very devious fellow…again, this time by making this an exercise in Jewish persecution….again. Does he think anyone is interested?
One wonders how the hell he ever got to where he is today. The man has now become the stooge for Jews in this country, all his neighbours being of the same ilk. He didn’t go to bat for any others in the list of questionable ministers. What did he promise the fascist Netanyahu in his happy little contrived theatrical expedition in Beersheba… Palestine. as it was in 1917.
Everyone should search out the Pope cartoon in the Canberra Times which accurately puts that whole exercise in perspective.
Turnbull has made a fool of himself…again…. Now owned lock, stock and barrel by the
Lobby. He is of no value to this country any more, if in fact he ever was.
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Rhys, it is easy enough to grasp Turnbull’s position, given his own background.
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I read that his mother was Jewish? Which means he is, as it’s matrilineal
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Hullo, Jennifer
Yes, such empathic people.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/nov/05/kevin-andrews-breaks-ranks-with-coalition-over-new-zealand-refugee-deal
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Hi Paul, I’m curious about the Mad Monk’s position on all this. He’s been uncharacteristically silent. I’m wondering if this has anything to do with his own allegedly dodgy status.
The situation on Manus is increasingly dangerous, with men falling ill and no medical help. I believe Greg Barnes is petitioning the PNG High Court to have the “necessities of life” restored to them, and I never in my wildest imaginings thought we would be reading those words in this context.
I have a very bad feeling about this
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Of course he is silent. Turnbull’s career is in its death throes. Turnbull has become reactive and that could mean the end of him.
Then we have a leader ship between Dutton and Julie Bishop.
Appealing thought, that..
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Sorry, left out spill as in leadership.
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The LNP have a woman leader???
On the other hand, most parties drag in a woman to sort them out when they’re absolutely fucked.
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I think they have left it go for too long re Bishop.
She may still get the leadership of this destabilised government, but she has had factional strife with hard conservatives in WA, also Abbott’s Canberra right faction is not fond of her for backing Turnbull.
In political terms she is, or has been, an opportunity let pass by myopia. Think how far it goes back. Nearly a decade, umpteen leadership changes with them and no compromise as to Bishop, who like Gillard, might have least got a
term up.
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Nah, his mother is not jewish but the whole notion of because a mother follows Judaism the kids are jews is ridiculous. No child is born ” a religion”
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No, but they could out turned uninformed and biased because if the indoctrination is slanted.
Isn’t half the population influenced by the Hollywood interpretation of mid east history?
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Stuffed up writing another post?
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It’s ethnicity, not just religion Marilyn. There are non observant Jews.
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Paul, Of course, if Turnbull’s mother was Jewish, Turnbull is also entitled to avail himself of the Law of Return, which means he too is ineligible under S44 unless he has renounced his Israeli citizenship entitlement.
Will anybody be left? Hopefully not.
And the delicious, gratifying irony that a government so committed to denying citizenship to so many could be brought undone by citizenship issues of its own.
There is a goddess.
I too can be an Israeli citizen, as my husband was Jewish. Tho he would rise from his grave in rage if I did.
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He never was Rhys
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And they talk of conflict of interest re someone like Ludlum?
S’cuse me !
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I was lucky enough, a few years back, to view the Memorial service to Sir Zelman Cowen, an outstanding citizen of our country by any measure. It was a very moving event covering some of the great moments in his life.
In a fitting bipartisan moment, guest speakers included Mark Dreyfus and Josh Frydenberg. They touched on slightly different things but it has to be said that both were very good and did the great man justice.
I agree entirely with you, niece Jennifer, that it was unfitting of Josh to play the Holocaust card when the issue was not about that. It respects nobody by so doing.
Although Josh is from the opposite side of politics to me, I could respect him on the strength of that Memorial speech. Even in his job as Energy Minister I felt a little bit of sympathy for somebody, like Simon Birmingham, trying to stitch together an impossible task with the conflicting forces within his government.
Turnbull has shown he’ll stoop to anything, which is why he tries such ridiculous name-calling all the time with Shorten. Josh should not have stooped that low. I’m sure it would have disappointed his great mentor.
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Yet neither Shorten or Truffles corrected the record or thought to invite Palesintians to their maunder about Beersheba and allowed the Israeli flag to be carried while Shorten visited Palestinians in a refugee camp while still denying refugees in camps his party created.
We have two arch Zionist shills.
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Uncle George, I think I lost what little regard I had for Frydenberg when he dragged his mum through this.
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It would be nice if he would go away. and his parliamentary playmates.
If wishes were fishes.
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He did what Campervan did. Blamed his mum.
What can you say of a man who blames his mum?
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You all do, don’t you? 🙂
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Yes. No child asks to be born.
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We give you life. What more do you want ? 😂
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cow.
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😂😂😂
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The mother was born in 1943 and lived in Budapest until they came here, there were no gas chambers in Budapest and she arrived here as a 7 year old, Josh was born 26 years after the war ended.
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Yes, Marilyn, these are more inconsistencies in the story, although the family did flee to Budapest from Vienna I think before Erika was born.
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I can’t stop thinking of him as Arbeit Freiborg now, because somehow my brain has linked the neoliberal “work or starve” philosophy to the historical slogan.
I’m also seeing Turnbull in the Mitchell and Webb “are we the baddies” sketch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjRU
Dutton “leader, the Pacific Solution is working, refugees continue to kill themselves in our camps”
Freiborg “we should make remote work for the dole claimants work in the mines, my leader, especially the troublesome natives”
Turnbull “camps, forced labour, our guards beating people to death… are we the baddies?”
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Yes Moz, I just see it as karma, for such serially mean-spirited people. As ye sow so do ye reap.
Many have commented on how how it reverses onus of proof, as has occurred for thousands of tormented Centrelink clients.
How ironic that the highest in the land have had a form of it imposed on them and how they have panicked at the thought.
So different when the stuff they apply to other people is applied to them, that is why I can feel no sympathy whatsoever for a government of ignorant, arrogant liars, crooks and megalomaniac sadists.
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Me either. I hope this is the beginning of their ignominius end
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It seems to me that the government was hiding as many of its doubtful dual citizens as it could for as long as it could, hoping against hope that the High Court would rule more favourably than it did in regard to the (expendable) senators.
Now the shit is really hitting the fan. Liberal Party House of Reps seats, some marginal are now being affected by the dual citizenship debacle.
Labor can afford to take the high ground in this matter; their candidates have whinged and complained about Labor’s strict inquiries and procedures for years, but they aren’t complaining now.
Although the removal of Abbott and installation of Turnbull applied lipstick to the pig that is this government, the beast is still porcine at its core. Time they went back to the sty.
Schadenfreude, O schadenfreude.
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I am so happy at these developments DQ. I almost believe in a goddess.
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Have you noticed that Turnbull is looking more like Phillip Ruddock all the time? Sallow-faced, thin-lipped and androgynous. It seems to be a phenomenon that befalls all who sell their souls. The Emperor from Star Wars is another example.
Some people of course don’t even have souls to begin with – but they’re easier to identify since it causes their hair to fall out before it even goes grey.
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Ruddock made a complete fool of himself on The Drum a week or two ago trying to justify Manus and he looks cadaverous, like something that crawled out from behind a headstone in a Hammer Horror movie.
Turnbull?
No, I can feel no sympathy for him, not even for the effort.
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I hadn’t noticed Sam, but he does look like a man being eaten from the inside.
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I agree wholeheartedly with Malcolm Turnbull that “we have no place in Australia for witch-hunts”.
Except when their targets are Centrelink clients, the ABC, Bill Shorten, Julia Gillard, the AWU, the CFMEU, Gillian Triggs and the Australian Human Rights Commission, boat-borne asylum seekers (especially if they throw their children overboard), superannuation “double dippers”, the Safe Schools program, the Pink Batts program, the School Halls program, Justin Gleeson, Peter Slipper, Craig Thompson, climate scientists, same-sex marriage advocates, perceived elites, latte sippers or chardonnay socialists.
The world champion witch-hunters complain about witch-hunts. You couldn’t make it up.
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So elegantly put. Love it.
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Paul, you’re very kind. Much kinder than the SMH Letters column editors. I submitted the above as a letter a couple of days ago, but they chose not to publish it. Then again, they do get 400 letters a day, and only have room for 25.
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No. The reason they excluded it was a) It told the truth b) They have a policy of automatic exclusion with an IQ above a hundred c) Because you are not a reactionary..
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God, did it again. “for people” , point b)
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Well said, Arthur. My sentiments exactly.
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On the letter, they hate, rightly, concentration camps from WW2, yet run them or have run them, at places like Baxter, Xmas Island, Woomera, Nauru and Manus. Arguably, where many aborigines live would have the living conditions expected of a camp and people on welfare are kept in electronic panopticons of concentration camps.
Malcolm and his friends have looked downcast lately at life’s injustices, yet can’t see their way to doing right even when the Kiwis have shamed us with help offered (again), involving people far worse off.
I can bleed for the poor blighters on Manus, but the politicians just leave me shaking my head nonplussed and a bit numb.
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I despise them. Cheerfully.
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The parallel between the WA cutoffs and Manus Island don’t seem to have been picked up. Perhaps those exist only in my head, but when the Prime Minster for Aboriginal Affairs cut off funding to “remote communities” (but only the black ones) there was a bit of a fuss. The states were left to provide services like power and water without funding. and WA especially decided they weren’t going to prioritise it. IIRC someone backed down and things continue much as before. But the cutoffs on Manus seem to have worked, PNG hasn’t stepped in to fund Australia’s failure.
Sadly I can’t imagine the same thing happening on Manus. I think their best bet is Aotearoa treating Australia like Labour under Lange treated the French – send a frigate in to remind the offenders that international law is a thing. But I fear that would be a step too far even for the untrustworthy, devious, interfering kiwi female prime minister {so much eyeroll}.
https://news.vice.com/article/australia-may-stop-providing-water-and-power-to-remote-aboriginal-communities
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Filthy tactics. The cutoffs are parallel to difficulties media and press have in getting to locations due to government instigated legal road blocks.
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Is the patriotism and national fealty of all those compulsory voters in the electorate that have dual citizenship under suspicion?
All of those voters who have the power as individuals or coordinated effort to elect and un-elect governments, do they harbor thoughts as to how policy effects the country of their birth and vote accordingly?
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I’m a dual citizen. My native country’s head of state is Australia’s head of state. My native country’s national flag still colonises the top corner of the Australian national flag. For as long as those two ridiculous states of affairs persist, I won’t be renouncing any citizenship. If it’s OK to have a head of state who’s British and if it’s OK to have a flag that looks like a British naval ensign, then I fail to see how my passive citizenship of that country can be all that harmful to Australia.
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Me too. I’m from a little place about 17 parsecs from Earth in Vector Zardoz. The Abbott/Turnbull Governments are an unauthorized software version whose license certificate I have been sent here to revoke.
The Dutton iteration was obliterated in a particle accelerator four thousand years ago in Earth space time, the current glitch is an earlier prototype and failed miserably at human simulation and on my home planet is a seasonal doll used to scare our equivalent of children from space travel.
Works a treat.
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Shiznog vorogzog horogbog.
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