Phil Goff – 
The message that Labour Party Leader Andrew Little and I took to Canberra last week was a blunt one. The rules governing Kiwis living permanently in Australia were unfair and had negative consequences for them and for Australia.
Kiwis were not looking for handouts or special treatment. They did however want a fair go and to have access as taxpayers to the same things other residents were entitled to. We also suggested that Kiwis living long-term in Australia who had made a contribution to the country should have a pathway to citizenship.
Rights breached
It does not make sense that New Zealanders who have been in Australia for 5, 10, 15 or more years and intend living there permanently cannot exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Our arguments stimulated a lively debate. One MP responded saying “If Kiwis do not like it here they can piss off home!”
Most others were more considered in their responses.
The Chair of one of the Parliamentary Committees we addressed acknowledged that our points were reasonable and agreed with most of them. Australian Labour Party Immigration Spokesman and Member of Parliament Richard Marles said that Kiwis in Australia ‘deserved to be treated in the same way as you treat Australians living in New Zealand.’
Effective Challenge
The most effective challenge that we issued to Australian MPs was to explain why Kiwis living permanently in Australia had to pay 0.5% of their wages into the National Disability Insurance Scheme as a premium but were not allowed to make claims on it.
Almost all conceded that was not a fair go and couldn’t be justified. The same arguments can be made about other benefits such as sickness, unemployment and single-parent income support.
Kiwis participate at higher levels in the workforce (78% compared to the general Australian rate of 68%), pay more tax and have a lower rate of unemployment. But they do not get the social security protections for which they pay taxes.
Reciprocal rights
Having a pathway to citizenship is important because otherwise New Zealanders can live and work for decades in Australia but never get to participate by being able to vote and enjoy equal rights there.
Australians in New Zealand can vote after one year, are eligible for social welfare support after two and can apply for citizenship after five years.
We argued that New Zealanders should enjoy reciprocal rights in Australia.
The reason Kiwis there do not have the same rights is because at present the Australian Government can have its cake and eat it too. It takes their taxes but does not have to make payments as it does to other residents. It saves them money but it’s not being fair.
On this trip I got the sense that Australians know this position is not sustainable.
The several hundred thousand Kiwis arrived since 2001 when new arrivals were stripped of their rights, are starting to speak out through groups such as ‘Ozkiwi.’
When confronted with the obvious unfairness of the situation, during visits like ours, most reasonable Australians acknowledge that changes need to be made.
Mistaken stance
New Zealand’s current government claims that quiet diplomacy is the way to go.
The problem is that its quietness is taken as being complicit with the present unfair situation. John Key should not have criticised our visit. He should have joined with us in a NZ Inc. approach so that New Zealanders are seen to be speaking with one voice.
We cannot dictate to Australia what it does but we should have the courage to speak out against the patent unfairness of the current policy.
I believe that we can and will win concessions from the Australians.
It will not be everything we want but on areas such as a pathway to citizenship after living five or 10 years in Australia and disability insurance, the arguments are so strong that they have to respond.
The timid approach by our Government however creates little incentive or pressure on Australia to respond at all.
Phil Goff is former Foreign Affairs, Trade and Justice Minister and has been Member of Parliament for 35 years. Elected from Mt Roskill, he is today Labour Party’s Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities and Auckland Issues. Mr Goff has announced that he would contest for Auckland Mayoralty in 2016.
