Labor MP Tim Watts defends Tony Abbott against online 'birthers'

By Latika Bourke
Updated September 17 2014 - 3:13pm, first published 2:17pm
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Tony Abbott's office deny the Prime Minister holds dual citizenship. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Labor MP Tim Watts has urged supporters to focus on the government's policies rather than spread a false smear campaign. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Labor MP Tim Watts has urged supporters to focus on the government's policies rather than spread a false smear campaign. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has found an unlikely defender against online attacks claiming he is a dual citizen and ineligible to hold office. 

Labor MP Tim Watts has hit out at the "Australian birthers" and labelled their allegations a "conspiracy theory" aimed at undermining confidence in Australia's political system.

The so-called Australian "birthers", a nod to similar US right-wing attacks against President Barack Obama, have been claiming in blogs and on social media for months that Mr Abbott, who was born in London but emigrated to Australia as a child, is a dual citizen.

Section 44 of the constitution forbids dual citizens from becoming MPs and states that any person who is a "subject or a citizen . . . of a foreign power" shall be "incapable of being chosen" as a member of either house.

Mr Abbott's office has rejected the claims, saying the Prime Minister is an Australian citizen and denies he holds dual citizenship. Those making the claims have called on Mr Abbott to produce documents to prove he renounced his British citizenship before becoming an MP in 1994. 

Mr Watts is one of the federal opposition's more active MPs on Twitter and has urged left-wing supporters to focus on the government's policies, instead of a false smear campaign.

"Abbott Birthers should spend some time reflecting on this rather than searching for citizenship documents" he tweeted.

 

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