June 17, 2024
501 burden unjust for Aotearoa
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is backing the prime minister’s stance on a change in Australia’s deportation policy.
Direction 99, which came in while Mr Hipkins was PM, required the minister to take into account the strength, nature and duration of an offender’s ties to Australia before using section 501 to withdraw a visa on character grounds.
A new ministerial direction makes the safety of the Australian public the priority.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has an assurance from his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese common sense will still be applied.
Mr Hipkins says Australia shouldn’t export its problems.
“New Zealand didn’t make them into criminal offenders. Australia did and so I think Australia deporting them to New Zealand is unjust. It’s unjust for the people concerned and their relatives but it’s unjust for New Zealand./ We shoulnd’t have to shoulder that burden when we didn’t have any role in creating it,” he says.
“New Zealand didn’t make them into criminal offenders. Australia did, and so I think Australia deporting them to New Zealand is unjust. It’s unjust for the people concerned and for their relatives, but it’s unjust for New Zealand. We shouldn’t have to shoulder that burden when we did not have any role in creating it in,” he says.