CEFA's Constitutional Forum

On Wednesday South Australian Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore addressed the media to let us all know she is a dual British and Australian citizen.

On Wednesday the candidate that was to go into the Senate in Fiona Nash’s spot was found to be incapable of being chosen. Hollie Hughes was the sixth person on the NSW Liberal National ticket at that election for the Senate. A spot that was almost impossible to win at the election.

The citizenship saga/issue/crisis continues. Almost every day one or two MP’s or Senators are outed in the media for having a parent born in some other country.

Last week the High Court found that five members of Parliament were dual citizens and thus incapable of being chosen to sit in the Parliament at the election in July last year.

On Wednesday the full bench of the High Court handed down their findings in Brown v Tasmania. The case was brought about after former Greens leader Bob Brown and a number of other people were arrested last year for protesting against logging in a Tasmanian forest.

What a week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the High Court heard arguments from eight legal teams as to why seven members of the federal Parliament should or should not be disqualified.

To protect the people of Australia our political leaders are looking to expand anti-terrorism laws.

The judge and the jury have different roles in our judicial system. The recognised principle is that questions of law are to be decided by the judge and questions of fact are decided by the jury.

Western Australia has never really been sure about being part of Australia. They were the last colony to hold a referendum asking the people if they would like to join the new federation.