Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg’s mother arrived in Australia using a valid passport and was considered to be of “Hungarian nationality”, according to official immigration documents.
Mr Frydenberg last week sought urgent legal advice after it emerged he could hold Hungarian citizenship through his mother, Erika, who was born in Budapest.
Citizenship lawyers yesterday said the matter would need to be determined by experts in Hungarian citizenship law.
Documents dating back to 1951 — compiled by NSW Customs Department senior officer J.H. Coventry — confirm the family of Samuel Strausz arrived in Sydney from Italy, via Fremantle, on December 30, 1950.
Mr Frydenberg’s mother, Erika Strausz, aged 7, and the rest of her family, signed a form applying for a “certificate of exemption” from provisions of the Immigration Act of 1901-1949 for a two-year period.
Read the full article by Joe Kelly at The Australian (subscription only).