Aussie minister accuses NZ party of undermining its government

Sydney

AMONG countries of the world, Australia and New Zealand are like siblings, with a shared colonial history and close trade, military and cultural ties. They even have a joint holiday to commemorate the sacrifices both nations made in World War I.

So it was something of a shock on Tuesday when Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, accused New Zealand's Labour Party of trying to "undermine the Australian government" by exposing the citizen status of a top Australian deputy prime minister.