Amber Heard pokes fun at Australian deputy PM over citizenship

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Media caption,

Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard expressed remorse in a video message made public by the Australian Department of Agriculture

It was a free shot that proved too irresistible to pass up.

When Australian Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce was revealed to be a New Zealand dual citizen on Monday - possibly in violation of constitutional rules - social media users joked about what Amber Heard and Johnny Depp might think.

The actors were famously targeted by Mr Joyce for breaking rules of their own: failing to declare their dogs, Pistol and Boo, to Australian officials in 2015.

Mr Joyce had threatened to have the dogs put down, prompting Heard and Depp to release a stilted apology video for defying the biosecurity laws of Australia - which they called "a wonderful island".

The saga made headlines around the world and was widely enjoyed online, where it was dubbed the #WarOnTerrier.

So it was probably no surprise that Mr Joyce's citizenship trouble - which is bound for Australia's High Court - generated clamour of its own.

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During the debate over the dogs, Mr Joyce stressed that the actors would not receive special treatment because of their high profile, and must obey the law.

"The consequences of a disease outbreak could have been terrifying," he wrote when sharing the pair's apology video on his Facebook page, external.

Last year, Heard avoided a conviction after pleading guilty to making a false statement on her immigration card.

On Tuesday, she chimed in on Mr Joyce's difficulty - to effectively have the last laugh.

"When @Barnaby_Joyce said "no one is above the law" I didn't realize he meant New Zealand law ..." she tweeted.

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Her tweets were well shared, receiving both applause and criticism.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mr Joyce has not responded.

Image source, Reuters
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Barnaby Joyce's eligibility for office will be tested by Australia's High Court