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Ardern says refugee offer 'remains' as PM defends Kiwi deportations

March 02, 2018 10:19·
On the issue of deporting criminals back to New Zealand Mr Turnbull said the process was'a fair and just one

On the issue of deporting criminals back to New Zealand Mr Turnbull said the process was'a fair and just one

'But ultimately, it is in the Australian Government's hands to determine how they manage that element of the policy'.

New Zealand's Prime Minister on Tuesday used her first major foreign policy address to announce she is establishing a ministerial position for disarmament amid tensions in the Asia-Pacific region over North Korea's weapons programs.

A New Zealand parliamentary committee last week was told 1023 deportees had been sent back in the last two years and 44 per cent of them had reoffended.

Turnbull stress that the policy did not just apply to New Zealanders.

Australia has already put an end to the practice, and Jacinda Ardern said she would like to do the same.

Since then, relations warmed a little with New Zealand's previous centre-right National government in 2016 approving the first US warship to visit the country in 30 years.

On New Zealand's ongoing offer to accept 150 refugees from Nauru or Manus Island, Mr Turnbull said the government will consider "other options" for refugee resettlement once its transfer deal with the United States is complete. Turnbull and Ardern's stoush follows a fiery interview from Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton who told A Current Affair in February that Australian courts weren't tough enough on foreigners who break the law.

Mr Turnbull said the leaders also discussed the ongoing effort to train police and security forces in Iraq.

"The portfolio.is an acknowledgment of the emphasis this government places on our long-held anti-nuclear stance, and the role we must play now and in the future", New Zealand's Ardern said.

She used the speech to underpin the importance of Australia to the New Zealand economy, saying it will be "a central focus of my Government's agenda".

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"I have raised again, as we have on previous occasions, elements of the deportation policy where for instance someone has never stepped foot in New Zealand".

At present, people from overseas who spend more than a year in jail are deported.

And the prime minister said there would be some kind of new organisation set up for "trans-Tasman collaboration" on cybersecurity.

"It is our sovereign right to determine whether and in what circumstances non-citizens can remain within our borders and within yours in New Zealand", he said.

Despite their differences on Friday, the two leaders were keen to talk up the "enduring" partnership between the two countries.

For generations, New Zealand has been an outspoken campaigner for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

He said Australia also relies on the deterrent protection from the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal.

The Australian government refuses to countenance the treaty, saying Australia relies on the extended deterrence of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.

At one point during the press conference, when Ms Arden was interrupted by adoring fans Mr Turnbull said: 'You've got some fans, Prime Minister, you should wave to them'.

"And the more we work together, the more likely we are to succeed".

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