Barnaby Joyce says he is not surprised after being ruled ineligible to sit in parliament by the High Court, triggering a by-election in his NSW seat of New England.
But the Nationals leader will not have to face Tony Windsor at the December 2 contest for the seat.
"In my gut I thought this is the way it was going to go," he told reporters in Tamworth in northeast NSW after the High Court judgement.
The government has lost its one-seat majority in the House of Representatives after Mr Joyce's disqualification, but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the government still holds a majority and has the support of the crossbench.
Mr Joyce discovered he was a New Zealand citizen by descent from his father.
The High Court delivered its verdict on Friday afternoon with Deputy Nationals Leader Fiona Nash, One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts, and Greens Senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam all deemed ineligible to sit in parliament due to their dual citizenship.
Matt Canavan and Nick Xenophon were deemed eligible.
Mr Joyce said he was always prepared for such an outcome and respected the court's decision.
"I don't actually stand here totally surprised," he told reporters.
"Of course it is tough. It is a tough game, politics. You dedicate so much of your time to it. You take the hits and the sacrifices. But we all buy the ticket, we know the risks. Now I am going to make sure that I don't cry in my beer, I will get back at work."
Mr Joyce has renounced his Kiwi citizenship meaning he can stand as a candidate for his previous seat of New England.
He will retain his post as Nationals leader and will not have to face his old political foe Tony Windsor in the by-election, after Mr Windsor confirmed he would not be running for the seat.
He said he looked forward to campaigning in the by-election on December 2, adding he would stay humble and work hard.
"I don't take it for granted. I don't get ahead of myself. I just concentrate on the job in front of me," he said.
Mr Joyce said he was disappointed by media reports about his personal life in the past week.
"I won't participate in it," he said.
