One of Labour’s key objections to the policy is people who have lived in Australia since childhood being deported to New Zealand.
Advertisement
Labour leader Andrew Little speaks to Kiwi expats at a meeting in Sydney.
His suggestion that it could “join us perhaps as the seventh and eighth state” quickly made headlines in New Zealand.
Department of Immigration figures reveal that as at August 31, there were 184 New Zealanders confined in Australian detention centres, with NZ’s Prime Minister claiming up to 1000 are in line to be deported.
Mr Little will also talk to Mr Dutton about a new law, introduced last December, that enables the deportation of non-Australians who are sentenced cumulatively to a year or more in prison, or who are judged to fail character tests.
But that “special family” relationship is in danger of being destroyed according to campaigners who are against the new rules in Australia which mean that around 1,000 New Zealanders are facing deportation.
The primary goal of Mr Little’s two-day Australian trip was to highlight the lack of rights between an estimated 250,000 to 350,000 Kiwis living in Australia on “non protected” visas have – including little welfare safety nets, and no automatic path to permanent residency or citizenship.
“I don’t think New Zealanders are saying they want to be one country with Australia, i think they are going to continue being different countries, and those closer economic relations are something we’re going to continue to work on”.
Even for those not set to be booted out of the country, the playing field is by no means even.
“The vast majority of Kiwis are working hard, paying their taxes, good honest citizens – [they should] give them a fair go and they’re not getting a fair go in a whole lot of ways at the moment”.
“It’s grossly unfair”, he said.
Some of the services New Zealanders are excluded from include access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme [for which they must pay a levy for as part of their taxes], student loans, unemployment benefit, disability benefits, and some insurances.
“My impression has been that they [citizenship criteria] are never terribly arduous for anybody, and New Zealanders would start ahead of the eight ball in understanding how it all works”.
It isn’t an easy road to Australian citizenship for New Zealanders.
But talking on Mike Hosking Breakfast, comedian Jools Topp says New Zealand would get lost in the crowd.
He pointed out that the law is not just for New Zealand citizens.
Mr Little argues that the $5000 non-refundable deposit New Zealanders must put forward to become a citizen is a major disincentive. If they don’t like the Australian way of life…they have an alternative, and that is to go back to where they came from. They’re able to vote after one year, after two years receive benefits in times of hardship and sickness, then after five years can apply for citizenship.
Advertisement
Mr Little’s visit to Villawood comes after his Corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis travelled to Christmas Island and visited New Zealanders held there, and after Mr Key’s accusation that Labour and Green MPs were “backing rapists” caused walk-outs at Parliament.
