Recently resigned Liberal MP for Bennelong John Alexander said on Friday he would be eligible to stand in next month's byelection after receiving advice from the UK Home Office that he had successfully renounced his rights to British citizenship.
The advice clears up question marks about whether Mr Alexander would be constitutionally eligible to stand in time for the December 16 poll.
More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 04:03
The battle for Bennelong
The battle for Bennelong
The first polling is in after Labor put up high-profile candidate Kristina Keneally against John Alexander in the Bennelong byelection. National affairs editor Mark Kenny reveals the results.
Up Next
Out of control fires near Wottamolla
- Video duration
- 00:42
- Video duration
- 00:42
Out of control fires near Wottamolla
Out of control fires near Wottamolla
The Royal National Park has been closed as firefighters battle two bushfires in Sydney's south. Vision courtesy of ABC News
Up Next
Inside a secret Border Force warehouse
- Video duration
- 01:57
- Video duration
- 01:57
Inside a secret Border Force warehouse
Inside a secret Border Force warehouse
Have you ever wondered where contraband seized by Australian Border Force ends up?
Up Next
Older train usage brings safety concerns
- Video duration
- 02:00
- Video duration
- 02:00
Older train usage brings safety concerns
Older train usage brings safety concerns
Trying to meet the demands of the new timetable, Sydney Trains have been making more use of their older trains than some would like, leading to serious safety concerns.
Up Next
Oasis in the city
- Video duration
- 01:15
- Video duration
- 01:15
Oasis in the city
Oasis in the city
"You forget that you're living in the city", Pyrmont resident Kyle Jenkins says rooftop gardens bring communities together.
Up Next
Massive bull shark caught in Georges River
- Video duration
- 00:41
- Video duration
- 00:41
Massive bull shark caught in Georges River
Massive bull shark caught in Georges River
Hassan Alameri and Luke Moir had no idea what they were in for when they reeled in a huge bull shark from the Georges River in Revesby.
Up Next
A drone saved these two swimmers
- Video duration
- 01:12
- Video duration
- 01:12
A drone saved these two swimmers
A drone saved these two swimmers
Watch as new drone technology, piloted by a surf lifesaver, saves two swimmers struggling at Lennox Head, NSW.
Up Next
Keneally is job hunting
- Video duration
- 01:26
- Video duration
- 01:26
Keneally is job hunting
Keneally is job hunting
After losing the Bennelong by-election, former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is looking for a job and has her eye on the vacant NSW Senate spot.
The battle for Bennelong
The first polling is in after Labor put up high-profile candidate Kristina Keneally against John Alexander in the Bennelong byelection. National affairs editor Mark Kenny reveals the results.
Mr Alexander resigned from Parliament over the weekend after he was unable to prove that he was not a dual British citizen. He was one of several MPs engulfed by a citizenship crisis because of a constitutional provision preventing those holding foreign nationalities from sitting in Parliament.
"I had official notification from the [UK] Home Office that I am what I have always believed that I am, indeed something that I have always believed I am: Australian and solely Australian," he said.
Mr Alexander was eligible for British citizenship by descent because his father was British-born.
He said the UK government had informed him on Friday morning that his request to renounce his eligibility for citizenship had been approved.
There had been questions about whether Mr Alexander would have had time to clear up his eligibility to stand for the December 16 byelection.
Mr Alexander undertook to provide journalists with a copy of the Home Office correspondence after the press conference.
Mr Alexander also confirmed he had cleared the only other potential roadblock to standing: Liberal party preselection.
"I have been officially endorsed as the Liberal candidate for Bennelong," he said.
After receiving the advice, Mr Alexander was installed by Liberal party state director Chris Stone, who exercised special powers that allow the party to bypass open preselections during election campaigns.
"I can now campaign with confidence to continue the work I have been engaged in," he said.
On Wednesday Mr Alexander said correspondence about his citizenship status had been frustrated by the fact that his UK-born father, Gilbert, had been born in 1907 and arrived in Australia as an infant without official papers.
Labor announced this week its candidate for the seat would be former NSW premier Kristina Keneally.
The seat is held by a two-party-preferrred margin of 9.7 per cent.
Mr Alexander was elected in 2010, when he won the seat back from Labor.
70 comments
Comment are now closed