Key-Turnbull meeting: new Aussie PM won't budge on Kiwis held in detention centres
Turnbull sticks with controversial policy.
Hot Topic
Hawke’s Bay
New Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says no special dispensations will be given to New Zealanders facing deportation in Australia.
In his first international trip since rolling Tony Abbott in September, Mr Turnbull met New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Saturday in Auckland.
Mr Key had raised the expectation that Australia would abandon its controversial new policy to cancel the visas of Kiwis who have spent more than 12 months in prison – even if they have lived most of their lives across the Tasman and have few or no ties to New Zealand.
Up to 5000 New Zealanders living in Australia could be deported under the measure. Some184 Kiwi expatriates are currently being held in a Chirstmas Island detention centre ahead of possible deportation.
But Mr Turnbull stood firm on the controversial policy of cancelling people's visas if they've been cumulatively sentenced to 12 months or more in prison.
"The number of New Zealanders whose visas will be revoked has been high because the law came in at the end of last year and there has been, in effect, a backlog," he said.
"Those numbers will decline and settle on a relatively low number."
Mr Turnbull said detainees could return to New Zealand at any time and lodge an appeal from there.
He did raise the prospect that more resources could be devoted to detention centres to speed up the appeal process.
Mr Key said the talks were "constructive".
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
Key-Turnbull meeting: new Aussie PM won't budge on Kiwis held in detention centres
52597