Key concerned Little’s Oz trip could backfire
THERE is a ‘‘growing acceptance’’ in Australia that New Zealanders living and working across the ditch deserve a pathway to citizenship, Prime Minister John Key says.
However, he claims progress on the issue could be undermined by Labour leader Andrew Little’s trip this week to discuss Kiwi expats’ rights with Australian politicians.
Key said the Government had made good progress with its Australian counterparts on potential changes to a 2001 decision to remove New Zealanders’ rights to permanent residency, which had given them a path to citizenship.
Instead, Kiwis were put in a special visa category allowing them to live and work there indefinitely, but denying them access to a range of benefits they were previously eligible for.
‘‘I think there is a growing acceptance in the Australian system. . . that things can’t carry on the way they are, with such a large group of people who effectively don’t have a pathway to becoming an Australian citizen, and that doesn’t seem right to me,’’ Key said.
He had spoken to Australian politicians about the issue, with both Labor leader Bill Shorten and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull seemingly sympathetic Zealand’s arguments.
The main problem was how to ‘‘draw the line’’ over which New Zealanders could become Australian citizens, such as requiring a certain length of residency in the country.
‘‘There’s many ways you can slice the onion – it’s a question of where you decide, or where they might decide, would be acceptable to give people a chance to realistically become an Australian resident and therefore a citizen,’’ Key said.
Little is speaking to two Australian select committees tomorrow about the rules, and will also meet Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Labor leader Bill Shorten.
However, Key said there was a risk that Little’s intervention could hinder progress on the topic.
‘‘If he goes over there and starts telling a whole bunch of MPs and demands change, one of the
The Australian public was largely happy with the current rules, so caution was needed in encouraging a change, Key said.
Little responded: ‘‘It’s not a question of going over and telling Australians or their elected representatives what to do, it’s about putting the issue squarely in front of them and asking them to consider it.’’
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