Senior Turnbull ministers are accusing Labor leader Bill Shorten of 'treachery' as Joyce claims he has renounced NZ citizenship.
The Deputy Prime Minister claimed he has renounced his New Zealand citizenship and it has been acknowledged by the New Zealand government.
The Prime Minister was asked directly in Question Time on Tuesday whether Barnaby Joyce is a dual New Zealand citizen. The government attempted to block the question before Mr Joyce himself was allowed to answer it.
"Over the course of the weekend, we went through the process of renunciation," he told the chamber.
"We received verbal communication from New Zealand before Question Time that that has now been accepted and we're looking forward to the written advice turning up pronto."
Earlier
New Zealand's Labour leader has accused Julie Bishop of making "false claims" about the party after the Foreign Minister alleged the Australian Labor Party was using NZ Labour to undermine confidence in the government.
In an extraordinary development on Tuesday, Ms Bishop accused Labor leader Bill Shorten of using a foreign political party to raise serious allegations about Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyces citizenship, designed to undermine confidence in the Australian government.
The claim relates to NZ Labour MP Chris Hipkins, who in a parliamentary question last week, asked the NZ internal affairs minister whether a child born in Australia to a Kiwi father would automatically have citizenship. He's yet to receive an answer.
NZ Labour leader Jacinda Ardern said an Australian Labor MP had put questions to him.
"He's been very clear: Yes, someone from the ALP put some legal question to him around citizenship, no mention was made of anyone's name, no rationale for any particular case being pursued was ever raised," she told radio NZ.
