Turnbull, Ardern put aside their differences
Jacinda Ardern and her Aussie counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, apparently hit it off at their first face to face meeting. Their meeting ran over time as they talked Apec and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, rehashed New Zealand’s offer to take some of the heat off Australia over the escalating humanitarian crisis faced by Manus Island refugees, and discussed the Iraq deployment.
The Manus issue has sparked a chorus of international condemnation and Ardern’s offer to resettle up to 150 refugees would take some of the heat off.
The offer was not a new one of course – John Key made the initial offer to former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard. But Australia has always refused, partly on the grounds it would give in to the people smugglers – some of which had dangled New Zealand as a destination – and because New Zealand could be used as a backdoor entry to Australia.
But if Turnbull’s response sounded like ‘‘thanks but no thanks’’, he also added the important caveat ‘‘not at this time’’, arguing that a prior US commitment to take 1250 refugees took precedence. Replacing a flat ‘‘no’’ with ‘‘maybe later’’ is a clear – if subtle – softening of the earlier rejections of the New Zealand offer.
So what’s changed? The dire situation on Manus Island is clearly motivation for Australia to find solutions, and urgently.
If the US offer falls over – and the current unpredictable nature of US foreign policy means nothing is certain any more – Turnbull will need a back-up plan.
But Ardern hinted at a shift in New Zealand’s position as well, suggesting she had options that might allow Australia to set aside its concerns about New Zealand being a backdoor into Australia. She would not spell out what mechanisms were discussed, but one option might be a deal by which Australia could blacklist the Manus Island refugees, even under New Zealand’s reciprocal travel arrangement.
Australia had suggested that option previously, but Key rejected it out of hand, arguing it would create two classes of citizenship.
Ardern’s suggestion that Australia’s concerns on that front shouldn’t stand in the way of it accepting our offer suggests she may be taking a more pragmatic approach. But it also suits her Government to play up a win in the first diplomatic go-round between her and Turnbull.
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 up the offer – 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 obligations.
Turnbull thanked her for renewing it and 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, subject to the United States’ ‘‘rigorous vetting’’.
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 would not make the
"We respect New Zealand's right to manage its affairs."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
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 an informal get-together over brunch ahead of the APEC leaders forum next week.
Her first international meeting was a chance for some crucial face time with Turnbull, her most important international ally.
Ahead of the meeting, the New Zealand camp insisted they had no insight as to whether Australia was ready to change its mind on the refugee offer.
But as one high-level source noted: ‘‘the environment feels different’’.
Australian officials poured cold water on a change of heart ahead of the meet-and-greet, however, insisting nothing had changed.
Commenting on policies that affected New Zealanders studying in Australia, and Ardern’s threat to take a tit-for-tat approach with Australians, Turnbull said he was committed to the policies but 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 Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses, which will be discussed on the margins of the Apec meeting in Vietnam.
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 met Ardern on the front steps of Kirribilli House before taking her to the verandah for a view of the Sydney harbour.
Turnbull and former prime minister John Key famously got together for a sleepover and kayaking adventure at one of their first meetings.
So it was probably inevitable that Turnbull would ask Ardern if she was also a keen kayaker.
However, she admitted she was more of a paddle boarder.
‘‘I’m not a particularly good [kayaker], but I can do it,’’ she told Turnbull.
‘‘I would probably circle you a few times.’’