Hollywood star Russell Crowe has slammed Australia for failing to even consider New Zealand’s offer to resettle 150 refugees stranded on Manus Island and Nauru.
The actor hit back at his critics, who are furious he has used his high profile to criticise Australia’s border protection policies on the same day New Zealand’s new Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited Sydney.
‘If one of the men on Manus was your brother, your uncle, your father…your son…,’ the New Zealand-born actor tweeted on Sunday.
‘The world is watching Australia and we look like a**holes.’
New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe is angry Australia hasn’t considered NZ’s refugee offer
The Hollywood actor used Twitter to slam those who disagree with him on Manus Island policy
Crowe also doubled down on his Twitter critics who accused him of being uninformed on the issue.
‘Go ahead write stupid articles, send me abuse, call me naive. Doesn’t change that what Australia has done to these men on Manus is appalling,’ Crowe said.
His social media spat came as Ms Ardern visited Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at Kirribilli House on Sydney Harbour and renewed her nation’s offer to accept 150 refugees from Manus Island, in Papua New Guinea, and Nauru.
‘New Zealand holds an obligation generally to make sure that we maintain our obligations to the United Nations to take refugees,’ she told reporters on Sunday morning.
New Zealand’s Labour PM Jacinda Ardern renewed her refugee offer during a visit to Sydney
New Zealand’s newly elected Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reiterated an offer to take 150 refugees from offshore centres in her first meeting with Malcolm Turnbull (pictured)
An uncomfortable looking Mr Turnbull said his government had to first consider its refugee-swap deal with the United States.
‘In the wake of that, obviously we can consider other ones,’ he said.
Adding to the drama, right-wing former Liberal immigration minister Kevin Andrews called on his own side of politics to consider New Zealand’s offer.
‘We should give consideration to what New Zealand is offering,’ he told Sky News on Sunday.
Despite the offer to take 150 refugees from the Manus Island (pictured) and Naura centres back on the table, Mr Turnbull said his government would not be accepting it
‘The reality is we have an intractable problem at the present time.
‘Yes, the United States are going to take some of these people but there’s still a large number there.’
However, Mr Andrews said Australia should also accept New Zealand’s offer to take the refugees provided ‘it doesn’t become a backdoor entry via New Zealand to Australia.’
Ms Ardern’s relationship with Australia has been controversial since her election with deputy PM Julie Bishop labeling the 37-year-old New Zealand leader ‘untrustworthy’.
Jacinda Ardern (left) and Malcolm Turnbull (right) had body language moments on Sunday
Howard government immigration minister Kevin Andrews says NZ deal should be considered
Fronting the media at Kirribilli House on Sunday, Mr Turnbull didn’t shut the door on the offer from Ms Ardern to resettle the refugees, saying they had engaged in ‘strong talks’.
Some 600 asylum seekers and refugees have barricaded themselves in the Manus Island complex, which officially closed last Tuesday following a Papua New Guinean Supreme Court ruling in April.
Those inside claim they will be attacked by PNG locals if they move to an alternative unfenced accommodation at nearby Lorengau.
Some 600 asylum seekers and refugees have barricaded themselves in the Manus Island complex, which officially closed last Tuesday
Ms Ardern has reiterated the NZ offer, first made under John Key’s centre-right National government to Australia’s previous Labor government in 2013.
This was in the same year it declared, under former prime minister Kevin Rudd, that no asylum seeker on Manus Island would ever be settled in Australia.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten softened Labor’s stance on Friday, saying the plan had similarities to the US resettlement deal to take 1,250 people.