Actor urged to back lawsuit

of RNZ

New Zealand expatriates in Australia are being called on to take legal action to get the country’s federal citizenship laws nullified as discriminatory.

In the run-up to Australia Day, rights campaigner David Faulkner of Sydney posted online about a class action and said it was time to switch from lobbying politicians to fighting in court.

He called on actor Russell Crowe to add his backing to achieve fairer citizenship laws.

Crowe spoke up earlier this month in an interview with

HuffPost, describing the federal government’s position on expat New Zealanders as unfair, and his own situation as ‘‘very odd’’, where his face is on a stamp but he doesn’t have citizenship in the country he’s called home for most of his life.

‘‘The reason that I talk about it, is not because I couldn’t do, you know, a nudge-nudge, wink-wink deal,’’ Crowe said. ‘‘I’m just not that guy, because it’s unfair. It’s an unfair situation that burdens . . . 250,000 New Zealanders who have made a life in Australia.’’

Faulkner seized on that, posting online a quote from Crowe and a picture of him as Maximus in the Oscar-winning movie Gladiator, to gauge interest in a class action.

‘‘We had an overwhelming response of more than 500 individuals, in an evening, saying that they would be willing to join in,’’ said Faulkner, who has helped with several successful court challenges over laws that denied individual expats the benefits other taxpayers, and many other migrants, get.

He has spoken with leading law firm Maurice Blackburn. The firm would not comment.

There was a precedent in the famous Mabo land decision for grassroots action to nullify unfair laws, and it was a cause that Crowe should consider joining, Faulkner said.

‘‘What would be wonderful is that he actually came on board and gave his full support by joining in an action.’’

Last year’s re-election of a hardline coalition government devastated expat lobbyists.

The leading group, Oz Kiwi, has gone on the backburner. Its spokesperson, Joanne Cox, said her group favoured ‘‘quiet diplomacy’’ but won’t dissuade others from going to court. – RNZ