"Long after I've forgotten about Mr Depp, he's remembering me. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to revel in the relationship woes of his 'nemesis' Johnny Depp. Credit:Andrew Meares "I'm turning into his Hannibal Lecter." ​But, despite his many sins, Hannibal was still a human being - and so is Barnaby. Yes, he threatened to kill Depp's dogs Pistol and Boo. Yes, he ridiculed his performance in an excruciating video apologising for breaching Australian quarantine laws.

But when asked on Thursday about news that Depp's wife Amber Heard had filed for divorce, Barnaby turned bleak. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, pictured in 2015, will settle their divorce case. Credit:AP "In all seriousness, the one thing I will never revel in is any relationship breakdown, no matter what animosity that might be seen on the airwaves between Mr Depp and myself," Joyce said at a press conference in Rockhampton. "No, I would never ever revel in something like that." It's no wonder, really, that Barnaby was tight-lipped.

The previous night he had controversially linked the surge of boat arrivals under Labor to the 2011 suspension of live cattle exports. The one thing I will never revel in is any relationship breakdown, no matter what animosity that might be seen on the airwaves between Mr Depp and myself. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce The crowd at the regional leaders' forum in Goulburn was stunned; Indonesia's former foreign minister was ropeable. Asked to explain his comments, Barnaby seemed amazed anyone would quibble with his logic. "You don't try and fix one problem, which was the problem of people coming in here under their own arrangements by boat, by creating another one, which was the banning of the live cattle trade," he said.

"It's as clear as that." He then seized control of the press conference by trying, with increasing frenzy, to direct questions to two Rockhampton reporters. "Alli and Michael," he shouted. "Michael! Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael, Michael." Perhaps he wanted to avoid pesky questions on foreign relations from the travelling press pack. Or perhaps he was just demonstrating his support for regional Australia.