news

"At six years old my mum dropped me off at school. She never came back to pick me up."

The list of Australian MPs caught up in the citizenship saga keeps on getting longer.

One of the latest involved, Labor MP Susan Lamb, is in a slightly different situation to most.

She spoke in Parliament today about the real obstacle in obtaining her parents’ marriage certificate.

“It’s a complex and traumatic story, a story that I don’t usually share,” she began.

“One day when I was around six years old my mum dropped me off at school. She never came back to pick me up.”

She told the House she didn’t remember every detail of what happened afterwards, except there were lots of tears and confusion.

“I remember my day trying to explain,” she said.

“So when people ask me why I couldn’t just call my mother, this is why, and I hope this story gives you the answer.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The MP for Londman, Queensland, has said she is estranged from her mum, Hazel Cant and has already taken the “reasonable steps” needed to renounce her British citizenship.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Lamb is a British citizen through her father. She says she started the process of renouncing her citizenship two weeks before the 206 election closed.

Her application was rejected by the UK Home Office due to absence of her parent’s marriage certificate, which she claims she cannot obtain because under Queensland law if a parent is alive they must give their permission for it to be released.

Despite the emotional circumstances, it remains up to the High Court to decide the outcome.