Susan Lamb’s mother said she spoke to her daughter only three years ago and ‘would definitely help’ in the row over her dual citizenship if she got in touch.
Labor MP Ms Lamb broke down in tears in Parliament yesterday when she explained she could not renounce her British citizenship because her mother abandoned her at the school gates and ‘is not around’ to provide her marriage certificate.
But her story contradicted her mother Hazel Cant who said the pair have been in touch as recently as 2014 and that she would be happy to help out if her daughter made contact again.
Speaking from her home in Brisbane last month, Ms Cant told The Australian: ‘She didn’t contact me but I would have definitely helped her.’
Queensland politician Ms Lamb is pictured explaining to the chambers why she could not provide legal documents needed for her citizenship resignation after she was forced to renounce her British citizenship
Her heartbreaking oration was met with stunned silence as she tearfully told parliament her mother abandoned her as a six-year-old and never came back
But Ms Cant did admit that the pair haven’t been close, adding: ‘I didn’t know about her going into politics until it was pretty much all over and done. It was a big surprise.’
She also said that she is still in contact with Ms Lamb’s sister, Rachel.
Ms Lamb needs access to her mother’s marriage certificate in order to prove to the UK Home Office that she is a British citizen before her citizenship can be renounced.
Under pressure to quit, she yesterday wept as she told her peers why she has been unable to get hold of it because her mother abandoned her as a six-year-old and never came back, and her British father passed away 20 years ago.
Her heartbreaking oration about how her nearly 40-year-long estrangement from her mother prevented her from obtaining her parents’ marriage certificate was met with stunned silence.
‘It’s a complex and a traumatic story and a story that I don’t usually share,’ Ms Lamb said.
‘One day when I was around six years old, my mum dropped me off at school and she never came back to pick me up.
‘I don’t remember every detail about what happened afterwards, but I remember lots of tears… I remember lots of confusion… I remember my dad trying to explain.’
Ms Lamb (pictured with Labor member Emma Husar) has been staring down the barrel of an impending resignation after she could not provide her parents’ marriage certificate in order to renounce her British citizenship
The 45-year-old went into harrowing detail about her non-existent relationship with the woman who gave birth to her
‘One day when I was around six years old, my mum dropped me off at school and she never came back to pick me up,’ she said.
Under a 117-year-old section of the Australian constitution, persons with dual nationalities are not allowed to stand for parliament.
In 2017, nine Australian MPs were forced to quit after it was discovered that they may be holding dual citizenships, and while two were re-elected, the issue has been plaguing Parliament into 2018.
Last week, Labor MP David Feeney announced he would resign after being unable to prove that he had renounced his UK citizenship before standing for office.
Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, is pictured consoling Susan Lamb after her emotional statement
Labor backbench MP Susan Lamb is comforted by Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten after making a statement at the end of House of Representatives Question Time
Despite retaining her dual-citizenship, Ms Lamb remained steadfast she would not resign
Ms Lamb went into harrowing detail about her non-existent relationship with the woman who gave birth to her.
She emotionally revealed why she could not simply ‘ring up’ her estranged mother to obtain the crucial document – and sadly explained her father is dead.
‘I don’t know what was going on in my mum’s life back then. I don’t know what’s going on in her life now. The fact is we don’t have a relationship. When people ask why I didn’t just call my mother, well this is why,’ she added.
Despite retaining her dual-citizenship, Ms Lamb remained steadfast she would not resign.
She implored the Coalition to sympathise with her tragic circumstances before passing the matter onto the High Court.
She implored the Coalition to sympathise with her tragic circumstances before passing the matter onto the High Court (Pictured hugging Labor member Linda Burney)
Ms Lamb emotionally revealed why she could not simply ‘ring up’ her estranged mother to obtain the crucial document – and sadly explained her father is dead
Ms Lamb broke down after explaining to the chambers why she could not provide her parents’ marriage certificate
Ms Lamb (Pictured with Bill Shorten) also told the chambers that she took advice from three independent barristers, including a retired judge of the Federal Court of Australia
‘The fact is my mum is not around to grant me access to her marriage certificate. And dad, passed away more than 20 years ago,’ she said.
‘My mother wasn’t there at my 7th birthday or the one after that. Wasn’t there when my son was born or when he graduated. They have never met.
For the record, I’ve never held a British passport. In fact, I’ve never been to the UK in my life.’
Ms Lamb also told the chambers that she took advice from three independent barristers, including a retired judge of the Federal Court of Australia, who all agreed she took ‘reasonable steps’ to renounce her citizenship and was validly elected to parliament.
Despite her emotional speech, the government has said they would pursue Ms Lamb over her citizenship status.
A source told The Guardian that they believe she could have either written to her mother or ‘or pursued another legal mechanism to obtain a copy of the document’ which would not mean any actual contact with the estranged parent.