Do not deport your people and your problems to New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, February 29th, 2020 - 53 comments
Categories: australian politics, human rights, immigration, jacinda ardern, labour, uncategorized - Tags: ,

Wingnuts will become apoplectic.  Jacinda Ardern has deftly but pointedly put Scott Morrison down because of Australia’s inhumane treatment of people who have lived much of their lives in Australia but through the capricious application of policy now find that they are being forcibly removed to New Zealand.

From Henry Cooke at Stuff:

Well, that was something.

Australia and New Zealand might still be the best of friends, but its hard to see much warmth returning to the relationship between Scott Morrison and Jacinda Ardern after she used a visit to his home turf to directly attack him.

The pair were talking following their annual meeting in Sydney on Friday afternoon, usually a chance to talk up trade initiatives and make some jokes about the rugby. That was not this meeting.

After Morrison delivered some anodyne opening remarks about the countries being drawn together in tragedy Ardern went for the jugular over the vexed issue of Australia’s deportations of New Zealand citizens that are basically Australians.

“Australia is well within its rights to deport individuals who break your laws. New Zealand does the same. But we have a simple request. Send back Kiwis, genuine Kiwis – do not deport your people, and your problems,” Ardern said.

Scomo resembled an opossum caught in the headlights of an approaching truck.  It is probably just as well they are protected animals in Australia.

Good on Jacinda for doing this, and her description of the problem, that Australia is exporting Australian made problems that are barely New Zealanders is spot on.

National with its latest tough on crime approach will be hating this.  Not only has Jacinda again displayed a backbone of steel but she has again shown that she is one of the most remarkable International leaders.

The justice of her argument is clear.  And she has trashed traditional notions of how New Zealand Australia relations are conducted when making her point.

Well done Jacinda.

53 comments on “Do not deport your people and your problems to New Zealand ”

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  1. lprent 1
    29 February 2020 at 12:06 pm

    It needed to be said – again and again. If you raise kids in aussie then they are australians.

    Perhaps we could make the point by looking closely at our australian banks and start treating them as being foreign companies that need to retain profits here. I’m sure that Orr will be in favour of that.

    If the Aussies want crude definitions of nationalism, then I’m sure that we can descend to their arsehole levels.

    • Graeme 1.1
      1 March 2020 at 2:20 pm

      Lower hanging fruit would be some of the Australian tourism 'operators' (generally just booking agents scalping a commission) that are monopolising the industry. Although financial darwinism might getting in first on that one.

      Or there's an aluminium refinery down south that's making a sterling contribution to society and the environment.

      Caution could be advised, there’s just as many NZ companies that derive good profits out of the West Island, not to mention all the Kiwis who keep the place running.

  2. Muttonbird 2
    29 February 2020 at 12:10 pm

    Yes, well done Jacinda for calling out Australia's corrosive policy.

    I'm surprised Cooke thinks this was a surprise to Morrison though. Can't believe the Australians wouldn't have seen her speech or been informed of what she was going to say.

    Perhaps he did know but hearing her say it was excruciating for him live standing right next to the type of leader he can only dream of being.

    AUS/NZ relations are at a low point. Perhaps an all time low in modern times and Scott Morrison's own policy is the cause of it.

    No wonder he is wincing.

    Oh, and the wingnut gammons are hurting bad over this. They don’t know whether to clap or shake their fist.

    • observer 2.1
      29 February 2020 at 5:33 pm

      It's especially funny because they've become wedded to the line that "she only does hugs and photo ops".

      A photo-op was Key and Turnbull having a bromance in their canoes. Substance: nil. Gains for NZ: squat. But … leadership! With testicles.

      • Jilly Bee 2.1.1
        29 February 2020 at 7:29 pm

        yesyes – yes, yes.

      • Naki man 2.1.2
        29 February 2020 at 8:17 pm

        It was just a political stunt that achieved nothing.

        • Hanswurst 2.1.2.1
          29 February 2020 at 11:45 pm

          I know – that was all Key was good for.

          • Rob 2.1.2.1.1
            1 March 2020 at 10:58 am

            Interesting Hanswurst, this habit of justifying / defending Jacinda's / Labours manourverings due to John Key / Nationals previous activities, only outlines that not much has changed between Govt's. Due to the number of 'what about National' type comments, you could almost argue Jacinda is following the National play book pretty closely.

            Telling off a foreign entity (who will not change their decision) as a reason to blame our crime issue on them whilst not really doing anything significantly backhome is not any form of solution.

            • Rae 2.1.2.1.1.1
              1 March 2020 at 2:48 pm

              Forelock tugging and rear end kissing IS a form of solution? We do not have to roll over and play dead just because Australia is bigger than us, all we have to do is be better, and we are, and most certainly in that encounter Ardern was streets ahead of Morrison

  3. Ad 3
    29 February 2020 at 12:11 pm

    The joint statement they released shows quite substantive unity.

    The rest is optics for their respective bases.

  4. Wayne 4
    29 February 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Yes, I suspect it was quite scripted.

    I doubt that Jacinda did that without giving notice to Scomo. The PM knows perfectly well it won't change Scomo's mind. In fact they may well have discussed that the message will be mutually beneficial to their respective political bases.

    In short it wasn't really a Love Actually moment, even though it looks a bit like that.

    • Sacha 4.1
      29 February 2020 at 1:44 pm

      Bound to have been a careful prior warning, for sure, but check out Morrison's face in some of the shots.

    • Blazer 4.2
      29 February 2020 at 9:47 pm

      Do you think a Natz PM or M.P would have the temerity to even make the statements JA did?

      John Key..I mean Sir Honky Tonks stated 'we need Australia ..more than they need us'!

      Absolute b/s of course…NZ's biggest export is profits to foreign corporations.

      Apparently Key is a frontrunner to be head of ANZ Australia…all done in the best possible..taste..I spent the night with Hisco ..at every kind of disco..but we never discussed my property in ..Success St!angry

    • Gabby 4.3
      29 February 2020 at 10:08 pm

      Scomofo won't be taking any notice of her anywayney, god said he didn't have to.

    • Rae 4.4
      1 March 2020 at 2:50 pm

      I am sure Morrison loves the idea of that being freely available to see all around the world. He was outwitted. Mind you, a battle of wits with an unarmed man…….

  5. Bill 5
    29 February 2020 at 1:38 pm

    This idea of transporting people back to places they have no meaningful connection with is becoming a bit common these days. Thinking of Windrush.

    I wonder how prevalent the practice is beyond the shores of Australia and Britain? Anyone?

    • Sacha 5.1
      29 February 2020 at 1:45 pm

      Something do do with deep colonial guilt?

    • OnceWasTim 5.2
      1 March 2020 at 3:58 pm

      It happens here in lil ole NZ @ Bill.

      If you think of a 28/29yo who's been strung along by ever changing immigration policy, after 10 years, that's the majority of an adult's thinking life – there are many.

      Better to have just been up front and honest from the start but unfortunately there's no sign of that happening so far.

      A bit of white man's colonial guilt might not be such a bad thing when it comes to dealing with policy.

      And more generally….

      Yes Minister was supposed to be a comedy and a satirical warning.

      It wasn't supposed to be an instruction manual for public service CEO's and Ministers of the Crown

  6. Psycho Milt 6
    29 February 2020 at 3:44 pm

    I liked Russell Brown's response to this:

    The interesting thing is that Ardern can go to Australia and do this to Morrison because she has more political capital there than he does. And she knows it. https://t.co/Srmk9cKXAp— Russell Brown (@publicaddress) February 28, 2020

    https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    • Incognito 6.1
      29 February 2020 at 10:06 pm

      Well, how do they think she got that capital in the first place?

      I don’t think she’s using her capital, she’s growing it.

  7. mat simpson 7
    29 February 2020 at 3:58 pm

    ' backbone of steel "

    That is a new one.

    What about that steely resolve being applied too the deprivation and poverty she promised too deal with and creating a fairer tax system.

    International fame aside does not mean squat too the many kiwis living paycheck too paycheck.

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/02/26/government-spin-cant-hide-lack-of-progress-against-poverty/

    • Descendant Of Smith 7.1
      29 February 2020 at 5:19 pm

      One can only hope the removal of the ability to include your spouse in super is a pre-cursor to re-aligning the benefit and pension rates to be the same again.

      Cunning plan and all that.

    • mickysavage 7.2
      29 February 2020 at 7:41 pm

      She knows how to count. Very important in a MMP system.

  8. Josh 8
    29 February 2020 at 4:36 pm

    "Send back Kiwis, genuine Kiwis – do not deport your people, and your problems,”

    What a load of shit. One is either a New Zealand citizen or one is not a New Zealand citizen.

    Australia is entirely within its rights to send back New Zealand citizen crims, no matter how long they have been in Australia.

    Only problem of course is we get them.

    Better that these animals be put on a military aircraft, flown out over the Tasman sea, and air dropped, Argentine dirty war style.

    That would be the best outcome – both for Australia, and New Zealand.

    • I Feel Love 8.1
      29 February 2020 at 4:56 pm

      You want to murder people?

    • observer 8.2
      29 February 2020 at 5:22 pm

      One is either a New Zealand citizen or one is not a New Zealand citizen.

      A moment's thought will tell you how stupid that is.

      You can be a non-NZ citizen for decades, living here, paying taxes, voting, raising children, being a pillar of the local community … but according to you, if that non-NZ citizen who was born in (say) London then had a one-off lapse and got done for driving over the limit – then they would automatically be sent to a country they left when they were a child.

      And according to you that is exactly the same as a Kiwi who has never left NZ flying to Sydney and murdering somebody when they step off the plane.

      Glib generalisations make for easy rhetoric and crazy outcomes.

      • Josh 8.2.1
        29 February 2020 at 6:00 pm

        "And according to you that is exactly the same as a Kiwi who has never left NZ flying to Sydney and murdering somebody when they step off the plane."

        Not exactly the same.

        The murderer gets a fucking life sentence and probably bum fucked in jail + deportation.

        The 'one off lapse' guy gets deportation only

        long time in jail + deportation NOT EQUAL to deportation only

    • Psycho Milt 8.3
      29 February 2020 at 6:31 pm

      Better that these animals be put on a military aircraft, flown out over the Tasman sea, and air dropped, Argentine dirty war style.

      Followed by:

      Where's your moral compass…

      You're just taking the piss on this thread, right?

    • Gabby 8.4
      29 February 2020 at 10:04 pm

      Were you an argie before you came here joshy, or are you from the depublikk?

      • Muttonbird 8.4.1
        29 February 2020 at 10:05 pm

        South Dunedin is my guess.

        • I Feel Love 8.4.1.1
          1 March 2020 at 12:43 pm

          I'm a South Dunedinite, love this place!

          What always astounds me about these Josh types is they want to turn NZ into something it isn't, the reason this is such a pleasant place to live is because we don't throw "crims" off planes into the ocean. Seriously, if that's the kind of place Mitchell, Josh etc want to live why don't they move somewhere else, a place less pleasant? Creeps.

  9. Josh 9
    29 February 2020 at 5:56 pm

    "Glib generalisations make for easy rhetoric and crazy outcomes."

    It is as simple as that when it comes to immigration law. You are a citizen or you are not a citizen.

    Same with voting. You are either 18 or over or you are not.

    If you are a NZ citizen whether for 10 days or 10000 days, you get the same right to a passport and access to different countries due to your citizenship.

    There are not different classes of citizenship

    Jacinda is the one who is messed up and illogical and incoherent —–there are no different classes of NZ citizens – i.e. ones you can deport and those you can't.

    Peter Dutton is looking after his people by taking out the trash. We should do the same —you are not a citizen and you commit a crime here? Give em the heave ho

    • Macro 9.1
      29 February 2020 at 6:22 pm

      🙄

      What a load of tosh you write Josh.

      A child goes with a parent to Australia, some as young as 3 months old. They live, go to school in Australia, and work. They may have never been back to NZ. This is not an isolated or made up example. For instance, my grandson went to WA at the age of 12 weeks. He has no idea of what his birth country looks like.

      People like this have no connection to this country whatsoever. And many of those deportees fit this description perfectly. Many have Australian families. They are to all intents and purposes Australian. The only thing is that they do not have the necessary paperwork. To gain Australian citizenship does not come cheap. Around 10,000 dollars per applicant and if an error is made on the application you need to start all over again.

      • Anne 9.1.1
        29 February 2020 at 6:27 pm

        Josh is not very bright. Think he suffers from this condition:

        Dunning–Kruger effect

        Description

        In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability. Wikipedia

      • Josh 9.1.2
        1 March 2020 at 12:58 am

        If you don't meet a legal definition or threshold, you are only holding out for discretion and mercy.

        Discretion and mercy are not something to expect as of right, but are a gift. There is no obligation to expect discretion or mercy, otherwise they are not these things.

        Why would any country in the world prefer to hold on to troublemakers if they had a legal means of offloading them somewhere else. It is perfectly sane. And being deported to NZ is hardly the same as being sent back to Somalia, or Wuhan lol! Hardly a human rights crisis.

        • RedLogix 9.1.2.1
          1 March 2020 at 8:19 am

          You played your hand when you were dumping them out of the plane mid-Tasman. So much for your idea of 'human rights'.

        • Incognito 9.1.2.2
          1 March 2020 at 11:02 am

          For a “law abiding citizen” you seem to have a poor and warped view of human rights. In any case, you view (those) criminals as “animals” so bringing in/up human rights is disingenuous at best.

      • Patricia 2 9.1.3
        1 March 2020 at 1:54 pm

        I work with many of the "501" men and women who have been deported. Most seem to be reasonable people with no family here to fall back on. Some have left entire families (parents / siblings / grandparents / children / grandchildren) in Australia. Their grief and sadness is unbearable. Their crimes do not seem so bad that being evicted from Australia is a fitting punishment.

        The really bad 501s soon learn how to get a network up and going and continue the life of crime that they learned so well in Australia.

    • Gabby 9.2
      29 February 2020 at 10:05 pm

      Come off it joshy, of course there are different closses of ciizen. Remember how things were back in the deplublikk?

  10. observer 10
    29 February 2020 at 6:38 pm

    How quickly (some) people forget …

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E2%80%9318_Australian_parliamentary_eligibility_crisis

    You're a NZ citizen in Australia, and that's that, no exceptions … except for the exceptions, when it's politically convenient to claim you're not really a NZ citizen after all, just a fair dinkum Aussie.

  11. Muttonbird 11
    29 February 2020 at 7:06 pm

    The Guardian:

    The Australian government mounts arguments around national security and safety, but they are spurious, and made for the hackneyed political gain of being seen as tough on crime, and harsh towards “others”.

    Rarely in international relations are there debates free of nuance, free of grey areas. But Australia is unambiguously in the wrong here, and it has been consistently for years.

    Its inability to see the harm it is doing to what should be one of its closest, and simplest, relationships, is immensely damaging and self-defeating.

    "Harsh toward others." As it has always been in Australia. They are so blind to their natural racism that their reaction when confronted by it is one of confusion and bewilderment.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/28/not-much-love-actually-jacinda-ardern-was-right-to-call-out-australias-corrosive-policies

  12. Muttonbird 12
    29 February 2020 at 9:33 pm

    Thats a shame. Naki man had put up a video of Peta Credlin ranting about Ardern. Seems like Naki got cold feet because he deleted it.

    Perhaps he didn't want to show his JDS symptoms.

    Before it was deleted I had replied:

    NZ voters have zero idea who Peta Credlin is.

    And if they do look her up she's tied to that crazed imbecile Tony Abbott.

    Not a great hit for the gammons there.

  13. David Mac 13
    1 March 2020 at 4:19 pm

    Jacinda found a succinct way of stating our case. Hopefully it will prompt the Aussie in the street to consider the issue. That's where change will come from. As soon as there are votes in shelving the export of 501s any Australian PM will meet Jacinda's wishes. We don't need to convince Scomo, we need to convince 51% of Oz voters.

  14. David Mac 14
    1 March 2020 at 5:04 pm

    Appeal to the good nature of our Antipodean friends. Spend some Proceeds of Crime income on Australian media advertising.

    Whether Facebook or Channel 9, It's a situation that lends itself to some heart wrenching messages, win the Aussies over.

  15. David Mac 15
    1 March 2020 at 6:32 pm

    Australians all have one thing in common, without exception, every single one of them knows a bloody good Kiwi bastard.

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