Turnbull unbending on deporting NZ expatriates

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has run up hard against the immovable object that is Australian domestic politics – and failed to change her counterpart Malcolm Turnbull’s mind on the plight of Kiwi expats.

At a press conference with Ardern, Turnbull made it clear Australia would not budge on the issue of Kiwi deportees and insisted the policy was both legally and morally right.

The Australian government’s hardline stance on Kiwi deportees has strained relations between both countries – some expats deported ‘‘home’’ had barely set foot in New Zealand previously and have been separated from friends and family in Australia.

Ardern has raised the plight of a recent deportee who had never been to New Zealand before being forced out of Australia.

But when asked if Australia could morally justify the policy Turnbull had a clear message for New Zealand. ‘‘Yes.’’

To dispel any doubt, Turnbull added that it was a ‘‘fundamental right’’ and an issue of sovereignty for Australia.

It was a marked contrast to the light banter that accompanied the earlier exchanges between Ardern and Turnbull after an intimate evening at Turnbull’s Point Piper mansion.

Ardern was joined by partner Clarke Gayford and Turnbull hosted with his wife Lucy.

The couples exchanged gifts – New Zealand made all-wool shoes Allbirds to the Turnbulls from Ardern, and a baby gift for Ardern of Australian-made baby shoes. It was also at odds with the show of Anzac warmth at a 1000-strong lunch on the Sydney waterfront. Turnbull and Ardern shared the stage to talk about the state of the relationship.

At their meetings earlier yesterday, Turnbull and Ardern discussed issues including joint cooperation in the Pacific and an ongoing role in Iraq, another area which has potential to cause friction if New Zealand decides to go its own way.

But Ardern dodged controversy by putting off a decision until after the upcoming Iraq elections

Expat rights across the Tasman have been an ongoing issue between both governments since Australia’s landmark agreement in 2001 to clamp down on the free right of travel and work across the Tasman.

Australia was acting on a domestic backlash to the image of the Kiwi ‘‘bludger’’ and the burgeoning welfare bill as a result of New Zealand’s population drift across the Tasman.

But it also has ongoing concern about New Zealand immigration settings allowing backdoor entry into the country of people it considers undesirables.

Ardern has arrived in Australia with one of the biggest business delegations ever – a flag-flying exercise to show that it is business as usual in trans-Tasman relations since the change of Government.

Both leaders sought to accentuate the positives at their joint press conference after a morning of meetings – talking up their joint co– operation in areas including the Pacific, Iraq and elsewhere.

They also talked up a joint initiative to boost trans-Tasman exports, focused on small and medium-sized businesses.

But Ardern was forced to admit after their meeting that she had failed to win any concessions from Turnbull on the more fraught issues surrounding the rights of Kiwi expats.

Like her predecessors, Ardern is discovering that no matter how warm the rhetoric, Australian domestic interests are always going to trump Anzac ties.