Turnbull confident of Joyce's future

Malcolm Turnbull says the government is confident the High Court won't disqualify Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce from parliament.

Labor leader Bill Shorten on Monday asked the prime minister in parliament - which earlier referred Mr Joyce to the court over his potential New Zealand citizenship - whether it was the "first government in Australian history to ask the High Court whether in fact it has a majority".

"Based on advice from the solicitor-general, the government is the very confident the court will not find that the member for New England is to be disqualified from the parliament," Mr Turnbull said.