Jacinda Ardern gives a stark warning to Scott Morrison over deporting criminals back to New Zealand from Australia – hinting the issue could destroy the trans-Tasman relationship
- The New Zealand PM has vowed to push Scott Morrison on criminal deportations
- Under new rules, around 1,000 New Zealand-born criminals have been deported
- The most common crimes are drug dealing, assault or child sex offences
- Criminals can be removed even if they have Australian permanent residency
- New Zealand police said around 40 per cent then re-offend in their home nation
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has admitted Australia’s policy of deporting Kiwi-born criminals could destroy the friendship between the two nations.
Ms Ardern, 39, is meeting her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison this week for their annual trans-Tasman meeting, and she has vowed to push even harder on the issue.
She has previously spoken out about the deportation of criminals – many of whom are drug dealers or child sex offenders – who were born in New Zealand back to the country from Australia.
Ms Ardern has insisted many of the criminals have ‘almost no connection’ to New Zealand.
Scott Morrison (pictured, left) and Jacina Ardern (right) will meet this week for the annual trans-Tasman talks. They are pictured at the same event in 2019
‘In friendships there will sometimes be issues that can be corrosive,’ she told Newshub.
‘Deportation continues to be one of those issues.’
More than 1,000 New Zealanders have been deported from Australia since 2014 when changes were made to the Migration Act.
Drug offences, assault and child sex offences are the most common charges that result in deportation.
The law means even if an individual is an Australian permanent resident, and has lived and worked in the country for decades, they can still be deported.
New Zealander’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) is unhappy about the deportations
In the name of national security, they can be ejected on ‘bad character’ grounds if they are sentenced to 12 months or more in prison.
A shocking 40 per cent then go on to re-offend in New Zealand.
New Zealanders are thought to be the largest group to have had their visas cancels and be held in Australian immigration detention centres.
While the policy is intended to keep Australians safe from gangs, many of those deported have bought houses and raised children in the country.
‘We have seen cases where there is also almost no connection of an individual to who have been deported,’ Ms Ardern said after the same meeting last year.
‘I consider that to be a corrosive part of that policy. And it’s having a corrosive effect on our relationship.
‘It continues to be a policy I fiercely disagree with. It’s wrong and I will continue to raise that.’
Scott Morrison (pictured) is thought to be unlikely to make concessions on the issue of deporting New Zealand-born criminals from Australia
The same deportations are not undertaken for Australian-born criminals living in New Zealand.
Ms Ardern vowed to raise the issue with Mr Morrison yet again, but conceded she wouldn’t raise climate change issues.
It is not expected that the Australian government will make concessions on the deportation issue.
She also explained she wouldn’t be discussing human rights with Fiji’s leader Frank Bainimarama.
Last year, three New Zealand journalists were arrested while working in Fiji.
Qantas planes (pictured) are used by the Department of Home Affairs for some deportations