Aussie PM rejects NZ refugees aid offer
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has softened his government’s approach to New Zealand’s offer to take Manus Island refugees but he is still not taking the offer up - for now.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern renewed the offer to take 150 refugees from Papua New Guinea’s Manus island and from Nauru during her first visit to Sydney as prime minister on Sunday.
She said New Zealand had made the ‘‘very genuine’’ offer as part of its general United Nations obligation to take refugees.
Turnbull thanked her for renewing the offer and he indicated it was still on the table.
‘‘We are not taking it up at this time.’’ Australia was giving priority to a United States resettlement deal first.
He said 1250 people could well be settled in the US under that deal. After that other offers could be assessed.
Turnbull said Australia was not prepared to outsource its immigration policy to people smugglers.
It had put people smugglers out of business and would keep them out of business.
Ardern said she would not make the offer direct to Papua New Guinea because it was under active consideration by Australia so there was no need to do so.
Ardern arrived in Sydney on Sunday morning for what was billed as an informal get-together.
Her first international meeting was a chance for some crucial face time with Turnbull, her most important international ally.
Her refugee offer has been made before – by former prime minister John Key.
Australia, which has resorted to increasingly hardline tactics against people smugglers, has always worried that taking up the offer would send all the wrong signals. It fears it would encourage more people smugglers, and New Zealand residency and citizenship would be used as a backdoor entry to Australia because of our reciprocal travel rights.
In relation to policies that affected New Zealanders studying in Australia, and Ardern’s threat to take a tit-for-tat approach with Australians studying in New Zealand, Turnbull said he was committed to the policies that affected New Zealanders and he understood the criticisms.
‘‘Just as we respect New Zealand’s right to manage its affairs and determine its university arrangements as it sees fit, I know that New Zealand respects our right to do the same on this side of the ditch.’’
Meanwhile, on the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) Ardern said she would continue to argue for changes to the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses, which will be discussed on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) meeting in Vietnam next weekend.
She said the New Zealand population would want that pursued, but the TPP also offered benefits to exporters, particularly into Japan.
‘‘But at this stage this will not stop us pursuing the ISDS clauses as far as we are able.’’
Turnbull said Australia was very committed to the TPP.