Kiwis seek a fair go in Australia

MY Kiwi blood is boiling.

Why?

I just read Facebook comments on an article I wrote in March about New Zealanders struggling to stay afloat during COVID-19 because they aren’t entitled to any government support.

Here’s a sample … “Kiwis always wanting free handouts.”

“Is it true that all kiwi males have had romantic liaisons with sheep by the age of 14?” “Go back to your own country to get money.” “Become a permanent resident or citizen and you can get all the benefits … simple really.”

NEWSFLASH: Unlike other immigrants there is no direct pathway to citizenship for 647,000 New Zealanders living in Australia.

We want legislation to change so hard-working New Zealanders who love Australia and have made it their beloved home have the same access to citizenship as everyone else.

For hundreds of thousands of us who arrived after 2001 we must first be permanent residents. But to do this we must meet a myriad of conditions, including earning at least $53,900 for four consecutive years.

This rules me out because even though I arrived in 2004, have Aussie-born kids, built a house and have lined the pockets of State and Federal Governments through taxes, I only earned about $45,000 a year because I was selfemployed for 10 years.

It feels like I’m being punished for choosing to stay home to raise three children while making an income.

As a non-citizen I can’t vote, can’t access any benefits if I’m made redundant and I will be sent to an immigration detention centre if I’m involved in a car accident and found guilty of manslaughter. All because I can’t become a citizen of a country I love. A country that belongs to First Nations people but is populated with a melting pot of cultures from across the globe.

But I’m one of the privileged ones, I have a full-time job, good health and a stable relationship. This is not the case for thousands of the 50,000 fellow Kiwis on the Gold Coast. It should be them telling you their stories but they won’t (I’ve asked dozens) because they fear abuse, they know they’ll get told to “go home” or “stop bludging”.

Fact is, we are NOT dole bludgers. We volunteer at the tuckshop, our husbands coach your son’s footy team, our kids flip burgers alongside yours and we stack supermarket shelves at midnight.

I wonder if savvy politicians realise the huge number of Queensland votes up for grabs by giving Kiwis a fair go.

Or do they fear constituents will snub them if they’re seen to be giving money to Kiwis?

Time will tell.