Not many overseas born MPs in the newly-elected parliament

The newly-elected federal parliament may have a record number of female MPs but it is likely to have fewer MPs born overseas than the last. The lack of ethnic diversity has sparked calls for controversial candidate citizenship requirements to be scrapped.

The empty chamber of the House of representatives is seen at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP

Australia may be a multicultural success story but it's hardly reflective in the nation's corridors of power. 

And critics like Greens leader Richard Di Natale say the election has done little to soften federal parliament's reputation as a white boy's club.

While there are set to be around ten per cent more women in the next parliament, the number of MPs born overseas looks likely to decline.

Richard Di Natale says the figures also raised questions about whether controversial citizenship requirements in the constitution are deterring Australians with a multicultural background from standing for parliament.

"Section 44 is an anachronism from a by-gone era. We need a referendum to abolish the section 44 clause that means if you are a dual citizen you can't run for parliament. It's a nonsense," he said.

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