Australian deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has now publicly apologized to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison for having called him a hypocrite and a liar in a message that somehow got leaked.

Australian PM Scott Morrison accepts DY PM Barnaby Joyce's apology over 'hypocrite and liar' remark

Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has accused Scott Morrison of being a ''hypocrite and liar'' in leaked texts.

The conversation between Joyce and a former staffer of Morrison's Liberal Party who had alleged sexual assault by a fellow staffer has been leaked by Bloomberg.

It shows Joyce saying "Morrison is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time."&nbsp;

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Currently the junior partner in Morrison's coalition government, Joyce said last year that he had never trusted Morrison.

After Joyce's private conversation became public, he apologised and said, ''I should have never written the text that I did.''

"My view from the backbench about the prime minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one-on-one working relationship."

In response, Morrison said, "Relationships change over time. Politicians are human beings too. We all have our frailties and none of us are perfect."

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The political commotion comes days after a controversy about an alleged exchange between senior Liberal Party members making derogatory remarks about Morrison.

Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese said that it was "untenable" for Joyce to continue as deputy prime minister.

"I couldn't care less that the Liberal Party members all don't like each," Albanese said at a briefing. "What I do care about is the consequences of a government that is dysfunctional."

Morrison's handling of the Omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak fuelled a backlash has adversely affected his approval ratings.

The Morrison government's support for coal and reluctance to tackle climate change has seen the party bleed support in major cities and prompted the emergence of a string of electoral challenges from climate-focused independents.&nbsp;

Morrison faces a tough election challenge from opposition leader Anthony Albanese, whose Labour Party has been leading the government coalition in some opinion polls. Morrison has yet to announce a date for the election, which must be held by May 21.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has accused Scott Morrison of being a ''hypocrite and liar'' in leaked texts. The conversation between Joyce and a former staffer of Morrison's Liberal Party who had alleged sexual assault by a fellow staffer has been leaked by Bloomberg.

Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has accused Scott Morrison of being a ''hypocrite and liar'' in leaked texts. The conversation between Joyce and a former staffer of Morrison's Liberal Party who had alleged sexual assault by a fellow staffer has been leaked by Bloomberg. It shows Joyce saying "Morrison is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time." Also read | Amid Djokovic's detention controversy, Aussie PM Scott Morrison turns commentator during Ashes - WATCH Currently the junior partner in Morrison's coalition government, Joyce said last year that he had never trusted Morrison. After Joyce's private conversation became public, he apologised and said, ''I should have never written the text that I did.'' "My view from the backbench about the prime minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one-on-one working relationship." In response, Morrison said, "Relationships change over time. Politicians are human beings too. We all have our frailties and none of us are perfect." Also read | With eye on China, Australia spends $3.5 billion to purchase 120 tanks from US The political commotion comes days after a controversy about an alleged exchange between senior Liberal Party members making derogatory remarks about Morrison. Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese said that it was "untenable" for Joyce to continue as deputy prime minister. "I couldn't care less that the Liberal Party members all don't like each," Albanese said at a briefing. "What I do care about is the consequences of a government that is dysfunctional." Morrison's handling of the Omicron-driven coronavirus outbreak fuelled a backlash has adversely affected his approval ratings. The Morrison government's support for coal and reluctance to tackle climate change has seen the party bleed support in major cities and prompted the emergence of a string of electoral challenges from climate-focused independents. Morrison faces a tough election challenge from opposition leader Anthony Albanese, whose Labour Party has been leading the government coalition in some opinion polls. Morrison has yet to announce a date for the election, which must be held by May 21. (With inputs from agencies)

Australia's Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce accuses Scott Morrison of being ‘hypocrite and liar’

Barnaby Joyce will be Australia's new deputy prime minister after winning a leadership contest in the government's junior coalition partner on Monday, local media reported. 
 
Joyce was previously Australia's deputy prime minister from 2016 to 2018 but resigned after a row over an extramarital affair with a former staff member. 
 
Meanwhile, Australian states and territories will get more doses of COVID-19 vaccines soon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as authorities look to avoid further delays in an immunisation drive that has hit several roadblocks.

Australian states have been asking for increased supplies of vaccines after Australia last week announced a policy shift that recommended AstraZeneca shots for people only above 60 years due to clot concerns, throwing the rollout into disarray.

"They are all getting additional doses ... it scales up again in July when the additional Pfizer doses go out," Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday. Morrison did not specify the number of shots each state would get.

Australia's nationwide vaccination programme missed several initial targets due to patchy international vaccine supplies while changing medical advice on AstraZeneca doses further slowed down an already sluggish programme.

Only 4% of Australia's adult population of 20 million have been fully vaccinated while more than 25% have had at least their first dose.

To accelerate the rollout drive, the federal government plans to distribute around 2.3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine in June to the states and territories, and looks to ramp it up to 3.4 million through July.

Australia has to rely on overseas shipments for its Pfizer shots while the AstraZeneca ones are produced locally.

Morrison has called a meeting of the national cabinet, the group of federal, state and territory leaders, on Monday, three weeks earlier than scheduled amid the turmoil in its vaccination programme. The next meeting was scheduled on July 9.

The government's promise of more doses for states come as New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, fights to contain a latest outbreak, which grew to nine cases over the weekend.

Victoria state on Monday reported one new locally acquired case linked to an existing cluster while Queensland, which reported one new infection on Sunday, reported no new cases. NSW is expected to report its latest numbers later on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)

Barnaby Joyce will be Australia's new deputy prime minister after winning a leadership contest in the government's junior coalition partner on Monday, local media reported.

Barnaby Joyce will be Australia's new deputy prime minister after winning a leadership contest in the government's junior coalition partner on Monday, local media reported. Joyce was previously Australia's deputy prime minister from 2016 to 2018 but resigned after a row over an extramarital affair with a former staff member. Meanwhile, Australian states and territories will get more doses of COVID-19 vaccines soon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, as authorities look to avoid further delays in an immunisation drive that has hit several roadblocks. Australian states have been asking for increased supplies of vaccines after Australia last week announced a policy shift that recommended AstraZeneca shots for people only above 60 years due to clot concerns, throwing the rollout into disarray. "They are all getting additional doses ... it scales up again in July when the additional Pfizer doses go out," Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday. Morrison did not specify the number of shots each state would get. Australia's nationwide vaccination programme missed several initial targets due to patchy international vaccine supplies while changing medical advice on AstraZeneca doses further slowed down an already sluggish programme. Only 4% of Australia's adult population of 20 million have been fully vaccinated while more than 25% have had at least their first dose. To accelerate the rollout drive, the federal government plans to distribute around 2.3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine in June to the states and territories, and looks to ramp it up to 3.4 million through July. Australia has to rely on overseas shipments for its Pfizer shots while the AstraZeneca ones are produced locally. Morrison has called a meeting of the national cabinet, the group of federal, state and territory leaders, on Monday, three weeks earlier than scheduled amid the turmoil in its vaccination programme. The next meeting was scheduled on July 9. The government's promise of more doses for states come as New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state, fights to contain a latest outbreak, which grew to nine cases over the weekend. Victoria state on Monday reported one new locally acquired case linked to an existing cluster while Queensland, which reported one new infection on Sunday, reported no new cases. NSW is expected to report its latest numbers later on Monday. (With inputs from agencies)

Barnaby Joyce to be Australia's new deputy prime minister: Reports

The junior partner in Australia&#39;s coalition government elected as its new leader on Monday a former newspaper editor who takes over as deputy prime minister after an embarrassing sex scandal threatened a decades-old conservative alliance.

Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party after Joyce, who campaigned on family values, resigned over an extramarital affair with his former media secretary.

Joyce is expecting a child with his former staff member and has left his marriage of 24 years. He resisted weeks of pressure to quit but said on Friday he would resign as party leader after a new allegation of sexual harassment emerged.

Under the terms of the coalition deal with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s centre-right Liberal Party, the leader of the Nationals automatically becomes deputy prime minister.

The drawn-out saga over Joyce&#39;s extramarital affair had threatened to fracture the alliance between the Liberals and Nationals that has been in place for almost 100 years.

McCormack won the party-room vote over a single challenger, George Christensen, who had proposed breaking the alliance with the Nationals&#39; senior partner.

&quot;I will honour that faith and trust and responsibility by always doing my best,&quot; McCormack told reporters in Canberra.

The alliance suffered during a public falling-out between Turnbull and Joyce over the deputy leader&#39;s affair. Turnbull described it as a &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot;, to which Joyce replied by calling Turnbull &quot;inept&quot;.

Turnbull pointedly did not leave Joyce as acting prime minister when he left Australia last week for meetings with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump in Washington.

McCormack has kept a low profile in recent years but his appointment is not without controversy. He was forced to apologise for stridently homophobic comments he made in an editorial when he was running a rural newspaper in 1993.

Turnbull, also a former journalist, welcomed McCormack&#39;s appointment.

&quot;Our enduring and successful political partnership will continue under Michael&rsquo;s leadership of the National Party,&quot; Turnbull said in an emailed statement.

Political analysts saw McCormack&#39;s low profile as an early obstacle before elections due by May 2019.

&quot;It will take quite a bit of time before McCormack registers with voters in rural and regional Australia,&quot; said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia.

&quot;Turnbull doesn&#39;t have much time before the election and he losses his best asset in Joyce, who is without doubt the best retail politician,&quot; he said.

Joyce now moves to the backbench. Little-known outside Australia, he made international headlines in 2015 when he deported two dogs brought into Australia by US&nbsp;actor Johnny Depp without the proper paperwork, a row that became known as the &quot;war on terrier&quot;. 
&nbsp;

Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party

The junior partner in Australia's coalition government elected as its new leader on Monday a former newspaper editor who takes over as deputy prime minister after an embarrassing sex scandal threatened a decades-old conservative alliance. Michael McCormack was chosen in a party-room ballot to replace Barnaby Joyce as the leader of the rural-based National Party after Joyce, who campaigned on family values, resigned over an extramarital affair with his former media secretary. Joyce is expecting a child with his former staff member and has left his marriage of 24 years. He resisted weeks of pressure to quit but said on Friday he would resign as party leader after a new allegation of sexual harassment emerged. Under the terms of the coalition deal with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's centre-right Liberal Party, the leader of the Nationals automatically becomes deputy prime minister. The drawn-out saga over Joyce's extramarital affair had threatened to fracture the alliance between the Liberals and Nationals that has been in place for almost 100 years. McCormack won the party-room vote over a single challenger, George Christensen, who had proposed breaking the alliance with the Nationals' senior partner. "I will honour that faith and trust and responsibility by always doing my best," McCormack told reporters in Canberra. The alliance suffered during a public falling-out between Turnbull and Joyce over the deputy leader's affair. Turnbull described it as a "shocking error of judgment", to which Joyce replied by calling Turnbull "inept". Turnbull pointedly did not leave Joyce as acting prime minister when he left Australia last week for meetings with US President Donald Trump in Washington. McCormack has kept a low profile in recent years but his appointment is not without controversy. He was forced to apologise for stridently homophobic comments he made in an editorial when he was running a rural newspaper in 1993. Turnbull, also a former journalist, welcomed McCormack's appointment. "Our enduring and successful political partnership will continue under Michael’s leadership of the National Party," Turnbull said in an emailed statement. Political analysts saw McCormack's low profile as an early obstacle before elections due by May 2019. "It will take quite a bit of time before McCormack registers with voters in rural and regional Australia," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia. "Turnbull doesn't have much time before the election and he losses his best asset in Joyce, who is without doubt the best retail politician," he said. Joyce now moves to the backbench. Little-known outside Australia, he made international headlines in 2015 when he deported two dogs brought into Australia by US actor Johnny Depp without the proper paperwork, a row that became known as the "war on terrier".

New deputy leader for Australia after sex scandal forces party shake-up

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on Friday he will resign as leader of his party and will move to the backbench after weeks of pressure over an extra-marital affair with his former media secretary.

Joyce said he will step down on Monday as leader of the National party, the junior partner in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s centre-right coalition. He will remain in parliament, safeguarding Turnbull&#39;s shaky one-seat majority.

&quot;I will say on Monday morning at the party room (meeting), I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia,&quot; he said at a press conference.

Joyce, a practising Catholic, has been married for 24 years and has campaigned on &quot;family values&quot;.

(Agencies)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Joyce said he will step down on Monday as leader of the National party, the junior partner in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's centre-right coalition

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said on Friday he will resign as leader of his party and will move to the backbench after weeks of pressure over an extra-marital affair with his former media secretary. Joyce said he will step down on Monday as leader of the National party, the junior partner in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's centre-right coalition. He will remain in parliament, safeguarding Turnbull's shaky one-seat majority. "I will say on Monday morning at the party room (meeting), I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia," he said at a press conference. Joyce, a practising Catholic, has been married for 24 years and has campaigned on "family values". (Agencies)

Scandal-hit Australian deputy prime minister resigns from Cabinet, remains in parliament

Australia&#39;s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman.

Joyce&#39;s decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce&#39;s affair as &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot;; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull &quot;inept&quot;.

Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision.

&quot;I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia,&quot; Joyce said.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party

Australia's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman. Joyce's decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce's affair as "shocking error of judgment"; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull "inept". Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision. "I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia," Joyce said. (With inputs from Reuters)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister quits amid sexual harassment allegations

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday&nbsp;banned sex between ministers and staff and rounded on his deputy for a &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot; by having an affair with a press secretary.

Turnbull announced the ban at the end of a parliamentary week dominated by controversy over Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce&#39;s relationship with a former staffer, Vikki Campion.

Barnaby Joyce, a Catholic who campaigned on &quot;family values&quot; and married for 24 years, is expecting a child with his former staffer in April.

Turnbull stopped short of sacking Joyce, which would have put the government&#39;s narrow one-seat majority at risk were he expelled from parliament.

But he said the scandal had prompted overdue changes to ministerial conduct rules, and announced new standards broadly similar to a ban on relationships between lawmakers and staffers adopted last week by US Congress.

&quot;In 2018, it is not acceptable for a minister to have a sexual relationship with somebody who works for them. It is a very bad workplace practice. And everybody knows that no good comes of it,&quot; he said.

&quot;Ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with staff. Doing so will constitute a breach of the standards.&quot;

He said Joyce was taking some personal leave to reflect and seek forgiveness from his former wife and four daughters, &ldquo;and make a new home for his partner and their baby&rdquo;.

He also said that Australians expected parliamentarians to behave decorously. Ministers needed to be &ldquo;very conscious that their spouses and children sacrifice a great deal so they can carry on their political career, and their families deserve honour and respect&rdquo;.

Turnbull added that when it came to serving in public life, &ldquo;values should be lived&rdquo;.

&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, a Catholic who campaigned on 'family values' and married for 24 years, is expecting a child with his former staffer in April

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday banned sex between ministers and staff and rounded on his deputy for a "shocking error of judgment" by having an affair with a press secretary. Turnbull announced the ban at the end of a parliamentary week dominated by controversy over Deputy Australian Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's relationship with a former staffer, Vikki Campion. Barnaby Joyce, a Catholic who campaigned on "family values" and married for 24 years, is expecting a child with his former staffer in April. Turnbull stopped short of sacking Joyce, which would have put the government's narrow one-seat majority at risk were he expelled from parliament. But he said the scandal had prompted overdue changes to ministerial conduct rules, and announced new standards broadly similar to a ban on relationships between lawmakers and staffers adopted last week by US Congress. "In 2018, it is not acceptable for a minister to have a sexual relationship with somebody who works for them. It is a very bad workplace practice. And everybody knows that no good comes of it," he said. "Ministers, regardless of whether they are married or single, must not engage in sexual relations with staff. Doing so will constitute a breach of the standards." He said Joyce was taking some personal leave to reflect and seek forgiveness from his former wife and four daughters, “and make a new home for his partner and their baby”. He also said that Australians expected parliamentarians to behave decorously. Ministers needed to be “very conscious that their spouses and children sacrifice a great deal so they can carry on their political career, and their families deserve honour and respect”. Turnbull added that when it came to serving in public life, “values should be lived”. (With inputs from Reuters)

Watch: Australian PM bans affairs between ministers, staff

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday the &quot;business of government goes on&quot; despite a citizenship crisis that ousted his deputy and cost the government its parliamentary majority.&nbsp;

Australia`s High Court ruled earlier on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and four other lawmakers are ineligible to remain in parliament because they held dual citizenship at the time of the last election.&nbsp;

&quot;The decision of the court today is clearly not the outcome we were hoping for but the business of government goes on,&quot; Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.

Turnbull confirmed that a by-election would be held in Joyce`s seat on Dec. 2.

Australia`s High Court ruled earlier on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and four other lawmakers are ineligible to remain in parliament because they held dual citizenship at the time of the last election.?

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday the "business of government goes on" despite a citizenship crisis that ousted his deputy and cost the government its parliamentary majority. Australia`s High Court ruled earlier on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and four other lawmakers are ineligible to remain in parliament because they held dual citizenship at the time of the last election. "The decision of the court today is clearly not the outcome we were hoping for but the business of government goes on," Turnbull told reporters in Canberra. Turnbull confirmed that a by-election would be held in Joyce`s seat on Dec. 2.

Respects court decision, says Australian deputy PM after court  rules him ineligible for parliament

&nbsp;Australia&#39;s High Court ruled on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister&nbsp;Barnaby Joyce&nbsp;is ineligible to remain in parliament, a decision that has cost the coalition government its one-seat parliamentary majority.

Joyce&nbsp;was one of seven politicians whose eligibility to sit in parliament was thrown into doubt when it was found they were dual citizens, which bars them from being elected to the national parliament under Australia&#39;s constitution.

&quot;I respect the verdict of the court,&quot;&nbsp;Joyce&nbsp;told reporters in the rural New South Wales town of Tamworth. &quot;It&#39;s a pretty simple story, we&#39;re off to a by-election.&quot;

Joyce asked for the matter to be referred to Australia&#39;s High Court for a ruling on his eligibility. He said he would not resign or temporarily step down from office after being told by Australian Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue that he was likely to be cleared by the High Court.

However, should the High Court rule against him, it would likely end Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s government.

If Joyce was disqualified, Turnbull would be forced to rely on the support of independents to prevent a successful no- confidence vote from the opposition Labour Party.

&quot;I think if Joyce is forced out, Turnbull would call an election,&quot; said Peter Chen, a senior lecturer in government at the University of Sydney.

Recent polls suggest Turnbull would lose an early election, with his government bleeding support to the populist far-right One Nation party, while moderates have flocked to Labour as Turnbull struggles to deliver on his progressive reputation.

The court ordered that a by-election must be held for&nbsp;Joyce&#39;s electorate.

The Australian dollar fell a quarter of a U.S. cent after the court announced its decision.




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"I respect the verdict of the court,"?Joyce?told reporters in the rural New South Wales town of Tamworth. "It's a pretty simple story, we're off to a by-election."

Australia's High Court ruled on Friday that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce is ineligible to remain in parliament, a decision that has cost the coalition government its one-seat parliamentary majority. Joyce was one of seven politicians whose eligibility to sit in parliament was thrown into doubt when it was found they were dual citizens, which bars them from being elected to the national parliament under Australia's constitution. "I respect the verdict of the court," Joyce told reporters in the rural New South Wales town of Tamworth. "It's a pretty simple story, we're off to a by-election." Joyce asked for the matter to be referred to Australia's High Court for a ruling on his eligibility. He said he would not resign or temporarily step down from office after being told by Australian Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue that he was likely to be cleared by the High Court. However, should the High Court rule against him, it would likely end Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's government. If Joyce was disqualified, Turnbull would be forced to rely on the support of independents to prevent a successful no- confidence vote from the opposition Labour Party. "I think if Joyce is forced out, Turnbull would call an election," said Peter Chen, a senior lecturer in government at the University of Sydney. Recent polls suggest Turnbull would lose an early election, with his government bleeding support to the populist far-right One Nation party, while moderates have flocked to Labour as Turnbull struggles to deliver on his progressive reputation. The court ordered that a by-election must be held for Joyce's electorate. The Australian dollar fell a quarter of a U.S. cent after the court announced its decision.

Australian court rules deputy PM ineligible for parliament

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce&#39;s political future was in doubt Monday after it emerged he was a dual citizen, placing the conservative government&#39;s slim parliamentary majority at risk.

Australia does not allow dual citizens to sit in Parliament, with New Zealand confirming later Monday its citizenship was automatically granted to Joyce via his father.

The revelation has major implications for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s Liberal-National coalition government, which won national elections last year with 76 seats in the House of Representatives -- a narrow one-seat majority.

Joyce has refused to step aside, instead referring the case to the High Court, saying that the solicitor-general was confident he would not be disqualified.

The obscure rule was little known until recently but several lawmakers have fallen victim to it in recent months, leaving parliamentarians scrambling to clarify their ancestral ties.

&quot;Needless to say, I was shocked to receive this information,&quot; Joyce told parliament after hearing he may be a dual citizen.

&quot;I&#39;ve always been an Australian citizen born in (regional city) Tamworth. Neither me or my parents had any reason to believe that I may be a citizen of any other country.&quot;

The dual citizenship crisis kicked off in July when the minor Greens party&#39;s co-deputy leader Scott Ludlam resigned after revealing he had dual Australian-New Zealand citizenship.

The crisis soon claimed other victims, including Canadian-born Greens Senator Larissa Waters and Resources Minister Matt Canavan, who left cabinet after finding his mother signed him up to Italian citizenship in his 20s.

Joyce said Monday he had been contacted by the New Zealand High Commission last week to advise him that he &quot;could be a citizen of New Zealand by descent&quot;.

While Joyce -- the leader of the Nationals party -- was born in Australia, he told parliament his father was born in neighbouring New Zealand and moved to Australia in 1947.

A spokesman for New Zealand Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne that there was no doubt about Joyce&#39;s status, saying&nbsp;that &quot;as far as New Zealand law goes, he is a New Zealand citizen under the Citizenship Act&quot;.

&quot;Mr. Joyce was born to a New Zealand citizen father and even though (the father) migrated to Australia in the 1940s that citizenship remained and he passed on the right of citizenship ...to his children.&quot;

He said citizenship was automatically granted and did not need an application.

Turnbull on Monday wrote to Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten to ask if his party wanted to refer any MPs over their citizenship status to the High Court so all the cases could be considered as a bloc, The Australian newspaper reported.

Canavan and minor party One Nation&#39;s Indian-born Malcolm Roberts have already had their elections referred to the court, which will decide if they had taken reasonable steps to renounce their foreign allegiances.

Almost half of Australia&#39;s 24-million population was born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas, according to last year&#39;s census.

Indigenous people account for about three percent of the population.

Joyce has refused to step aside, instead referring the case to the High Court, saying that the solicitor-general was confident he would not be disqualified

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's political future was in doubt Monday after it emerged he was a dual citizen, placing the conservative government's slim parliamentary majority at risk. Australia does not allow dual citizens to sit in Parliament, with New Zealand confirming later Monday its citizenship was automatically granted to Joyce via his father. The revelation has major implications for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal-National coalition government, which won national elections last year with 76 seats in the House of Representatives -- a narrow one-seat majority. Joyce has refused to step aside, instead referring the case to the High Court, saying that the solicitor-general was confident he would not be disqualified. The obscure rule was little known until recently but several lawmakers have fallen victim to it in recent months, leaving parliamentarians scrambling to clarify their ancestral ties. "Needless to say, I was shocked to receive this information," Joyce told parliament after hearing he may be a dual citizen. "I've always been an Australian citizen born in (regional city) Tamworth. Neither me or my parents had any reason to believe that I may be a citizen of any other country." The dual citizenship crisis kicked off in July when the minor Greens party's co-deputy leader Scott Ludlam resigned after revealing he had dual Australian-New Zealand citizenship. The crisis soon claimed other victims, including Canadian-born Greens Senator Larissa Waters and Resources Minister Matt Canavan, who left cabinet after finding his mother signed him up to Italian citizenship in his 20s. Joyce said Monday he had been contacted by the New Zealand High Commission last week to advise him that he "could be a citizen of New Zealand by descent". While Joyce -- the leader of the Nationals party -- was born in Australia, he told parliament his father was born in neighbouring New Zealand and moved to Australia in 1947. A spokesman for New Zealand Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne that there was no doubt about Joyce's status, saying that "as far as New Zealand law goes, he is a New Zealand citizen under the Citizenship Act". "Mr. Joyce was born to a New Zealand citizen father and even though (the father) migrated to Australia in the 1940s that citizenship remained and he passed on the right of citizenship ...to his children." He said citizenship was automatically granted and did not need an application. Turnbull on Monday wrote to Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten to ask if his party wanted to refer any MPs over their citizenship status to the High Court so all the cases could be considered as a bloc, The Australian newspaper reported. Canavan and minor party One Nation's Indian-born Malcolm Roberts have already had their elections referred to the court, which will decide if they had taken reasonable steps to renounce their foreign allegiances. Almost half of Australia's 24-million population was born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas, according to last year's census. Indigenous people account for about three percent of the population.

Australia deputy PM caught in dual citizenship crisis

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