Senator Roberts in parliament six months before renouncing of UK citizenship confirmed
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts was a member of parliament for six months before he had his British citizenship renounced.
There are more than 20 MPs who could potentially fall foul of section 44 of the Constitution which restricts Australians with dual citizenship from representing federal parliament.
But Senator Roberts said he wrote to British officials on May 1 last year asking if he was a UK citizen, given he was born to a Welsh father in India.
He had no reason to believe he was British, but thought it best to double-check while filling out a nomination form for the Senate.
He didn't receive a response so wrote again on June 6 - three days before nominations closed - saying that if he had British citizenship, he fully renounced it.
"I've taken all steps that I reasonably believe necessary," Senator Roberts told Sky News on Thursday night.
It wasn't until December 5 that the British High Commission confirmed Senator Roberts had renounced his citizenship, six months after he nominated as a Senate candidate.
But Senator Roberts is confident of withstanding a High Court challenge to his eligibility.
"Very confident, and I've received advice legally to the same effect, (I am) very pleased with that advice," he said.
Senator Roberts showed the documents supporting his claims to Sky News presenter Paul Murray, but they were not displayed on screen.
It is still unclear if Senator Roberts ever held UK citizenship, or at what point British officials revoked it if he did.
The new timeline adds another twist to the Senator Roberts' evolving story of his citizenship.
He was born to an Australian mother and Welsh father in India in 1955 and came to Australia when he was aged about seven, became an Australian citizen in 1974, and says he only ever travelled on his Australian passport.
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Senator Roberts wrote on Twitter in October 2016 he had "never held any citizenship other than Australian".
"When I travelled to UK & India I require a visa," he wrote.
In another October tweet he wrote: "I don't have, and never have had, Indian citizenship."
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she can "hand on heart" assure voters Malcolm Roberts is not a dual citizen, having witnessed him renouncing his UK citizenship before he became a candidate last year.
It follows Senator Matt Canavan’s decision to step aside from cabinet after he claims his mother made him an Italian citizen without his knowledge.
He was born on the Gold Coast and said he has never set foot in Italy.
But things changed when his mother reportedly lodged documents with the Italian consulate in 2006 to become a citizen.
"In doing so, it would appear that she made an application for me to become an Italian citizen as well," he told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.
"While I knew that my mother had become an Italian citizen, I had no knowledge that I, myself, had become an Italian citizen - nor had I requested to become an Italian citizen."
Earlier this month Greens senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam both resigned after discovering they were dual citizens.
