Nationals leader Matt Canavan has revealed the incredible process his Italian grandfather had to go through to become an Australian citizen — and insisted similar measures should be in place for migrants today.
“He was much better looking than me,” Senator Canavan joked about his maternal nonno (grandfather), Gaetono Zanella, while sharing photos with news.com.au.
He added that it “really shocked” him when he learned about the rigorous steps Mr Zanella went through to become a citizen when they emigrated to Australia after the Second World War.
They had to provide references from their employers and people of stature in the community, letters from local police constables, and evidence that they were financially independent and that they had secure lodgings.
Senator Canavan made the discovery after paying for files on his grandparents from the National Archives back in 2017, while the High Court was deciding on his citizenship.
He had been caught up in the parliamentary eligibility crisis after his mother unknowingly registered him as an Italian resident, but the High Court ultimately ruled he had never actually been an Italian citizen.
In the process, he scoured the files from the National Archives and saw that their citizenship application amounted to more than 100 pages.
He shared a 1954 letter from the Inspector of Police in Townsville, who wrote a reference for the senator’s nonno as part of his application.
“The applicant has a very good knowledge of the English language, and would experience no difficulty in working amongst and understanding English-speaking people … he fully understands the rights and privileges of Australian citizenship,” the letter said.
“As a result of my inquiries I have been unable to find any evidence of disloyalty by (the) applicant. He is considered to be of good character, honest and hard working.”
Senator Canavan’s surname is Irish, inherited from his father’s side, whose family came to Australia in the mid-1800s — “probably because of the potato famine, but we don’t really know”.
He argued the same high standards for his nonno should apply to migrants in 2026.
“If we could do it in the 1950s, why can’t we do it today?” he wrote this week.
“Now, with AI and social media, we should be able to get a pretty good idea about whether an applicant shares our way of life.
“Becoming an Australian should be the most exclusive club you can belong to. It should be tough to get in, and when you are in, we protect you like a mate.”
He vowed that the Coalition would require migrants to agree to Australian values, such as free speech and freedom of religion, and oblige them to learn English.
The senator’s personal revelation came as the LNP pivoted to a tougher stance on immigration this week, with Liberal leader Angus Taylor declaring that migrants from democracies were a better fit for Australia.
The Opposition Leader made the comments on Tuesday, while outlining the Coalition’s Australian values Migration Plan in an address to the Menzies Research Centre.
“For too long, we’ve turned a blind eye to a reality of immigration and integration: Those who migrate from liberal democracies have a greater likelihood of subscribing to Australian values compared to those migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists, and dictators,” Mr Taylor said.
He also confirmed the Coalition would create a task force to deport illegal residents from the country.
The speech drew criticism, including from One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce, who questioned whether the Opposition was trying to “get back votes from that they’ve lost One Nation”.
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating also slammed Mr Taylor’s crackdown as cowardly and racist in a scathing attack, accusing the Liberals of embracing “dumb bigotry” for votes.
