One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts, appearing on ABC's Insiders program in August 2016.

Please Explainer: A Brief Punter’s Guide To How Malcolm Roberts Tried To Renounce His British Citizenship

By Chris Graham on September 22, 2017 Australian Politics

One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts was a British citizen when he ran for office in the Australian Parliament on July 2, 2016.

So says the High Court of Australia, in a judgement handed down this evening.

New Matilda is preparing a story overnight which explains what happened. In the interim, we have released the brief video below, which explains in basic terms how Senator Roberts tried to renounce his citizenship prior to his election.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the publisher and editor of New Matilda. He is the former founding managing editor of the National Indigenous Times and Tracker magazine. In more than three decades of journalism he's had his home and office raided by the Australian Federal Police; he's been arrested and briefly jailed in Israel; he's reported from a swag in Outback Australia on and off for years. Chris has worked across multiple mediums including print, radio and film. His proudest achievement is serving as an Associate producer on John Pilger's 2013 film Utopia. He's also won a few journalism awards along the way in both the US and Australia, including a Walkley Award, a Walkley High Commendation and two Human Rights Awards. Since late 2021, Chris has been battling various serious heart and lung conditions. He's begun the process of quietly planning a "gentle exit" after "tying up a few loose ends" in 2024 and 2025. So watch this space.