Matt Canavan

Last updated

In 2006, Canavan's mother had registered him as an "Italian resident abroad" with the Italian consulate in Brisbane. Canavan stated that he had been unaware of this until his mother had informed him of it following the resignation of two Greens senators over their dual citizenship. [19] The government took the view that he was not in breach of the Constitution, as the registration had not been made with his knowledge or consent. Canavan resigned from cabinet, but not from Parliament, as he had not yet been given a definitive legal view on the matter. [20]

Initially, Canavan accepted that he had Italian citizenship. [21] He then renounced it, effective 8 August 2017. [22] On the same day, on a government motion with all-party support, the Senate resolved to refer the matters of Senators Scott Ludlam, Larissa Waters and Canavan to the High Court as Court of Disputed Returns. The Attorney-General indicated that the Commonwealth would argue, in favour of Cavanan, that s 44(i) requires a personal acknowledgement of the connection, which had not occurred. Canavan spoke in support of the referral, while stating that he did not believe he was in breach of s 44(i), and said that he would not be voting in the Senate until his position was determined by the Court. [23] Later, four other members of the federal parliament were referred to the High Court, which heard the seven cases together.

In the High Court, government lawyers argued for Canavan and others that s 44(i) requires some personal acknowledgement of another citizenship, which had not occurred; in its judgment on 27 October 2017, the Court rejected this interpretation of the sub-section. For Canavan, it was argued in addition that his registration as an "Italian resident abroad" in 2006 had been incorrect in supposing that he was an Italian citizen and that, although a change in Italian citizenship law when he had been two years old could appear to have conferred Italian citizenship upon him, it could not be shown to have done so. [24] The Court accepted these points and held that Canavan had never been a citizen of Italy; accordingly, he had been validly elected. [25] : para 86  [26]

Political views

Matt Canavan at a Start Rockhampton Ring Road rally, 2022 RockyRingRoadRally39.jpg
Matt Canavan at a Start Rockhampton Ring Road rally, 2022

Canavan opposes same-sex marriage. [27] In 2017, when Cory Bernardi moved a motion to ban abortion on gender grounds, Canavan was one of ten MPs who voted for the motion, which was defeated with 36 votes against. [28]

Canavan is a climate change denier [29] and a prominent supporter of fossil fuels, particularly coal, [30] [31] and has strongly opposed investment in renewable energy. [32] He has been referred to as one of the major players in the LNP split over climate and energy policy, frequently advocating for more coal power plants, despite their higher costs and higher emissions than alternative energies. [33] Canavan has rejected that climate change contributed to the catastrophic 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, despite evidence to the contrary. [34] His views have been rebuked by climate scientists and other members of Parliament, including Nationals MP Darren Chester. [35] [36] In response to a protest in November 2018 where high school students walked out of class to protest the Australian government's inaction on climate change, he responded "I want kids to be at school to learn about how you build a mine, how you do geology, how you drill for oil and gas". He also stated "The best thing you'll learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole queue." [37] He also strongly opposes the teaching of climate change in schools, stating that children are "more interested in PewDiePie than politics", " Fortnite than fostering revolution" and that the only mining they get involved in is in Minecraft . [38]

In October 2020, he shared a picture on Facebook and Twitter that showed a vehicle with a sticker that stated "Black Coal Matters" on it, intended as a parody of the American social movement Black Lives Matter. This was posted in the wake of major racial tension following the murder of George Floyd, and Canavan was met with heavy backlash on social media. [39] [40] He later defended the post as a "joke", and declared that the Black Lives Matter movement deserves "ridicule". [41] In August 2021, Canavan received widespread criticism when he took issue with the announcement that the children's entertainment group the Wiggles had recruited a further four members, who were ethnically diverse, a move he perceived as "woke", saying in an interview with The Australian newspaper: "The Wiggles are free to do what they like. It was nice while it lasted. But you go woke, you go broke." His comments were perceived by some as racially insensitive. [42] [43]

In November 2021, Canavan was one of five Coalition senators who crossed the floor to vote for Pauline Hanson's proposed COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2021, which would have prevented people who willingly refused the COVID-19 vaccine from being subject to any kind of mandate or consequence. [44] [45] His support of the bill drew criticism and accusations of being anti-vaccine. [46] Canavan called for the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be halted, contrary to the policy of his own government and views of his colleagues. [47]

Canavan has spread misinformation linking COVID vaccination to excess deaths in Australia. [48]

Personal life

Canavan met his wife, Andrea, at university while volunteering with Edmund Rice Camps. [8] As of 2017, they had five children together and lived in Yeppoon. [49] They also own a property in Barmaryee and a house in Macquarie, Australian Capital Territory. [50]

Canavan has said he "rediscovered" his Roman Catholic faith while preparing for his wedding. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Turnbull</span> Prime Minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018

Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnaby Joyce</span> Australian politician (born 1967)

Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce is an Australian politician who served as the leader of the National Party of Australia from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2021 to 2022. Joyce served as the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia during both his leadership tenures under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull from 2016 to 2018 and Prime Minister Scott Morrison from 2021 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Nash</span> Australian politician

Fiona Joy Nash is a former Australian politician. She served as a Senator for New South Wales from 2005 to 2017, representing the National Party. She was the party's deputy leader from 2016 to 2017 and was a cabinet minister in the Turnbull government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Scullion</span> Australian politician

Nigel Gregory Scullion is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for the Northern Territory from 2001 to 2019. He was a member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) and sat with the National Party in federal parliament. He held ministerial office under four prime ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathias Cormann</span> Secretary-General of the OECD

Mathias Hubert Paul Cormann is a Belgian-born Australian politician and diplomat who currently serves as Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), having assumed the office on 1 June 2021.

Section 44 of the Australian Constitution lists the grounds for disqualification on who may become a candidate for election to the Parliament of Australia. It has generally arisen for consideration by the High Court sitting in its capacity as the Court of Disputed Returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Chester</span> Australian politician (born 1967)

Darren Jeffrey Chester is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives for Gippsland in Victoria, representing the Nationals since 2008. Chester had served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Defence Personnel between March 2018 and July 2021 in the Turnbull and Morrison governments. He was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of ANZAC until May 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Pitt</span> Australian politician

Keith John Pitt is an Australian politician. He is a member of the National Party and has represented the Division of Hinkler in Queensland since the 2013 federal election. He was a member of cabinet in the Morrison government as Minister for Resources and Water and also served as an assistant minister in the Turnbull government. He was an electrical engineer and businessman before entering politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turnbull government</span> Australian government, 2015–18

The Turnbull government was the federal executive government of Australia led by the 29th prime minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, from 2015 to 2018. It succeeded the Abbott government, which brought the Coalition to power at the 2013 Australian federal election. The government consisted of members of Australia's Liberal-Nationals Coalition. Turnbull took office by challenging his leader, Tony Abbott, in an internal leadership ballot. Warren Truss, the leader of the Nationals, served as Deputy Prime Minister until he retired in 2016 and was replaced by Barnaby Joyce. Joyce resigned in February 2018 and the Nationals' new leader Michael McCormack became Deputy Prime Minister. The Turnbull government concluded with Turnbull's resignation ahead of internal leadership ballot which saw him succeeded as Prime Minister by Scott Morrison and the Morrison government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Turnbull ministry</span> 69th ministry of government of Australia

The first Turnbull ministry was the 69th ministry of the Government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It succeeded the Abbott ministry after a leadership spill that took place on 14 September 2015 ended Prime Minister Tony Abbott's leadership of the Liberal Party of Australia. On 15 September, the National Party confirmed, after successful negotiations, that it would continue a coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, guaranteeing the Turnbull government a majority in the Australian House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Littleproud</span> Australian politician

David Kelly Littleproud is an Australian politician who has been the leader of the National Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Maranoa since the 2016 federal election and was a cabinet minister in the Turnbull and Morrison governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Turnbull ministry</span> 70th ministry of government of Australia

The second Turnbull ministry was the 70th ministry of the Government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. It succeeded the first Turnbull ministry following the 2016 Australian federal election on 2 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Roberts (politician)</span> Australian politician

Malcolm Ieuan Roberts is an Australian politician. He is a member of One Nation and has been a Senator for Queensland since 2019. He also served in the Senate from 2016 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45th Parliament of Australia</span> Federal parliamentary term in Australia (2016–2019)

The 45th Parliament of Australia was a meeting of the legislative branch of the Australian federal government, composed of the Australian Senate and the Australian House of Representatives. It met in Canberra from 30 August 2016 to 4 April 2019. The 2016 general election held on 2 July gave the Coalition of the Liberal and National Parties control of the House, albeit with a slimmer majority than the 44th Parliament, allowing their leader Malcolm Turnbull to stay in office as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia. During the term of the parliament, the government slipped into minority due to defections and by-elections. The leadership of the government also changed during the parliament, when Scott Morrison replaced Turnbull as Liberal Leader and Prime Minister in August 2018. The 45th Parliament was officially prorogued by the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at 8:29 a.m. on 11 April 2019, and the House of Representatives dissolved at 8:30 a.m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis</span> Crisis over the eligibility of members of the Parliament of Australia over citizenship

Starting in July 2017, the eligibility of several members of the Parliament of Australia was questioned. Referred to by some as a "constitutional crisis", fifteen sitting politicians were ruled ineligible by the High Court of Australia or resigned pre-emptively. The situation arose from section 44(i) of the Australian Constitution, which prohibits parliamentarians from having allegiance to a foreign power, especially citizenship. On that basis, the High Court had previously held that dual citizens are ineligible for election unless they have taken "reasonable steps" to renounce the foreign citizenship before nomination.

<i>Re Canavan</i>

Re Canavan; Re Ludlam; Re Waters; Re Roberts [No 2]; Re Joyce; Re Nash; Re Xenophon is a set of cases, heard together by the High Court of Australia sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, arising from doubts as to the eligibility of a number of members of Parliament to be elected to Parliament because of section 44(i) of the Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 National Party of Australia leadership election</span>

A leadership election was held on 26 February 2018 to select Barnaby Joyce's replacement as leader of the National Party of Australia and Deputy Prime Minister. Michael McCormack was elected party leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Morrison ministry</span> Australian government ministry led by Scott Morrison

The second Morrison ministry was the 72nd ministry of the Australian Government. It was led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The second Morrison ministry succeeded the first Morrison ministry following the 2019 Australian federal election. The ministry was announced on 26 May 2019 and was sworn in on 29 May. Following the Coalition's defeat at the 2022 election, the ministry was succeeded by the Albanese ministry on 23 May 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 National Party of Australia leadership spill</span>

A leadership spill for the federal leadership of the National Party of Australia was held on 4 February 2020, and was called by the Member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 National Party of Australia leadership spill</span>

A leadership spill for the federal leadership of the National Party of Australia was held on 21 June 2021, and was called by the Senator for Queensland, Matt Canavan. Following the spill in the regularly scheduled party room meeting, the incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Michael McCormack was defeated by his predecessor Barnaby Joyce, who assumed the former's position as leader and Deputy Prime Minister.

References

  1. ↑ "Senators-elect: terms commencing 1 July 2014". Parliament of Australia. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Belot, Henry (25 July 2017). "Matt Canavan resigns from Malcolm Turnbull's ministry over Italian citizenship". ABC News . Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Wickham, Ben. "Senior Deputy Registrar" (PDF). High Court of Australia. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Australian PM seeks to calm nerves after he loses majority over deputy's dual citizenship". National Post. 27 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Sarah Martin and Paul Karp (3 February 2020), "Matt Canavan quits cabinet to back Barnaby Joyce for National party leadership", The Guardian
  6. ↑ "Citizenship Register". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kelly, Joe (1 August 2016). "Matt Canavan: the 1980s kid in the cabinet". The Australian. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 Ng, Emilie (20 September 2016). "Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan found God in holy matrimony". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. 1 2 Ludlow, Mark (26 May 2017). "Matt Canavan, a communist turned economist in a bushie's hat". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 "Senator Matthew Canavan". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia . Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "Toowoomba's first Senator to speak up for regions". The Chronicle. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Senator CANAVAN First Speech". 16 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Ministerial Swearing-in Ceremony". Events. Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Anderson, Stephanie (20 July 2016). "Election 2016: Malcolm Turnbull unveils ministry with Christopher Pyne, Greg Hunt on the move". ABC News . Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  15. ↑ "Matt Canavan forgot he was member of the North Queensland Cowboys when NAIF gave them a $20 million loan". Illawarra Mercury. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  16. ↑ "Michael McCormack defeats Barnaby Joyce to remain Nationals leader". ABC News. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Anthony Albanese says public wants 'practical' action on climate change – as it happened". The Guardian. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  18. ↑ Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia (December 2020). Never again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia - Interim Report. Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN   978-1-76092-197-2. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021. PDF
  19. ↑ "Transcript of statements on Senator Canavan's citizenship, Brisbane". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  20. ↑ Massola, James (25 July 2017). "Resources Minister Matt Canavan resigns from cabinet following doubts over dual citizenship". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  21. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela; Remeikis, Amy; Massola, James (25 August 2017). "Matt Canavan and Malcolm Roberts change their stories in High Court citizenship hearing". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  22. ↑ Williams, Pamela (23 August 2017). "Nationals senator Matt Canavan renounces Italian citizenship". The Australian . News Corp Australia . Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Senate Hansard". 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  24. ↑ Remeikis, Amy; Karp, Paul (12 October 2017). "Matt Canavan claim that Italian citizenship is 'doubtful' should be rejected, court hears". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  25. ↑ Re Canavan [2017] HCA 45 (27 October 2017).
  26. ↑ Koziol, Michael (27 October 2017). "High Court citizenship verdict: Nationals deputy Fiona Nash falls but Matt Canavan clings on". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "Nationals MP Trevor Khan lashes out at colleague Matt Canavan over same-sex marriage".
  28. ↑ "Australian Senate vote not passed, 16th Nov 2017, 12:15 PM". They Vote For You. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  29. ↑ "Canavan hardens climate stance despite Liberal drubbing". 26 May 2022.
  30. ↑ Warren, Chrisopher (12 August 2021). "Not my problem: how climate denial works in the 2020s". Crikey . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  31. ↑ Slezak, Michael (13 July 2017). "Stop trying to save the planet, Matthew Canavan tells Queensland government". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  32. ↑ Alvarez, Simon (14 March 2018). "Tesla's South Australia battery is 'Kim Kardashian' of energy, says minister". teslarati.com. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  33. ↑ "Matt Canavan declares net zero by 2050 is 'all over bar the shouting' after PM tries to quell divisions | Australian election 2022 | the Guardian".
  34. ↑ "'There is no link': the climate doubters within Scott Morrison's government". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  35. ↑ "Federal election 2022: Coalition climate change split emerges as Nationals Senator Matt Canavan labels net-zero goal 'dead'".
  36. ↑ Maiden, Samantha (26 April 2022). "'Net zero is dead': Aussie climate clash". news. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  37. ↑ Pitt, Helen (2 December 2018). "Matt Canavan says students should learn geology. It's called earth & environmental science". The Brisbane Times . Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  38. ↑ "Children 'more interested in Fortnite than fostering revolution'". 19 February 2020.
  39. ↑ Williams, Carly (6 October 2020). "Nationals Senator Matt Canavan Stands By Racist 'Black Coal Matters' Slogan On Ute". Huffington Post . Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  40. ↑ Gillespie, Eden; Blakkarly, Jarni (6 October 2020). "'Black Coal Matters': Nationals senator slammed for 'racist' slogan". SBS World News . Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  41. ↑ Burt, Jemima; Culliver, Paul (8 October 2020). "'Black Coal Matters' car sticker defended by Queensland senator saying BLM movement deserves ridicule". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  42. ↑ Molloy, Shannon (22 August 2021). "Senator slams new 'woke' Wiggles". News.com.au.
  43. ↑ "'Go woke, go broke': Australian MP Matt Canavan dismisses racial diversity on children's show". The Times . 23 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  44. ↑ "COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2021".
  45. ↑ "Scott Morrison faces Senate revolt over Pauline Hanson bill". news.com.au. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  46. ↑ Karp, Paul; Martin, Sarah (22 November 2021). "One Nation anti-vaccine mandate bill rejected despite support from five Coalition senators". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  47. ↑ "Canavan scolded by Regional Health Minister for vaccine rollout suspension call". 16 March 2021.
  48. ↑ "Why the simplest explanation for excess deaths in Australia during the pandemic is likely the best". ABC News. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  49. ↑ Connors, Matthew (3 January 2017). "It is a case of fifth time lucky for the Canavans". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  50. ↑ Karp, Paul; Remeikis, Amy (11 February 2020). "Matt Canavan leaves two properties worth more than $1m off 2019 declaration of interests". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
Senator the Honourable
Matt Canavan
Matt Canavan 2017.jpg
Canavan in 2017
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
In office
27 October 2017 –3 February 2020
Political offices
Preceded byas Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia Minister for Northern Australia /
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia
2016–2020		Next:
Keith Pitt
Preceded byas Minister for Resources and Energy
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.