A federal cabinet minister has hit out at the absurdity of a colleague's Italian citizenship plight, and used North Korea to make his point.
Christopher Pyne was defending Senator Matt Canavan who's resigned from his ministerial duties after discovering his mother registered him when he was 25, without him having to sign an application form.
"On that basis Kim Jong-un could make us all citizens of North Korea and we'd all have to resign," Mr Pyne told Nine Network on Friday.
He jokingly insisted he would reject it.
"I don't like Pyongyang."
The minister, a fifth-generation Australian, also criticised the Italian citizenship processes.
"Quite frankly, what is going on with the Italian government that they will make people citizens of their country without having a signed application form asking to be a citizen," he said.
"I think the Australian public are looking at this and thinking, this is the theatre of the absurd, and there has to be some common sense approaches."
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who has taken over Senator Canavan's portfolios of resources and Northern Australia, again stood by his close friend.
"I think he's got a very strong case to say 'look if something happens without my knowledge how can I be held responsible for it'," he told ABC radio.
Senator Canavan has admitted he considered quitting parliament after discovering what had happened, but decided to fight the issue in the High Court.
His resignation from cabinet came after two Greens senators left parliament after also being caught out by Section 44 of the Constitution, which prohibits a person being elected if they are a dual-citizen.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese insists his party thoroughly checks all its candidates, and all its MPs and senators "are fine".
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