RESTRICTED STUDENT

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30602, 19 November 1964, Page 3

RESTRICTED STUDENT

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 18. Special restrictions imposed by Australia and New Zealand against the other’s native-born citizens of non-European descent should be ended, the president of the Victoria University Students’ Association (Mr T. T. Robins) said in a statement today.

While investigating the refusal of the Australian High Commissioner’s Office in Wellington to allow a New Zea-land-born Indian Victoria University student more than 48 hours in Australia, the association discovered the restrictions were also im-

posed reciprocally by New Zealand against Australians, he said. The student concerned is David Singh, aged 26, of Te Puke, who was studying for a B.A. at Victoria University, and was a second year student at the Teachers’ Training College. He had been a public servant here and had served for a number of years as a member of the Royal New Zealand Navy Volunteer Reserve, Mr Robins said.

“The discriminatory practice was discovered when Mr Singh was obtaining information from the Australian High Commissioner’s Office on a stop in Australia while on his way to visit relatives in India.

“Mr Singh refused to comply with the Australian immigration requirements as he felt that as a New Zealand-

born citizen there should be no distinction between New Zealand-born citizens of European descent and those of Indian descent.” Mr Robins said the Passport Division of the Internal Affairs Department had indicated when approached that similar requirements, such as the obtaining of a “letter of authority” from the High Commissioner, were also required by New Zealand for similar Australian visitors.

The regulations were contained in a booklet issued to f e department by the airline T.E.A.L., he said. “Although immigration laws are necessary and operate in all countries, discrimination by Australia and New Zealand against the other country’s native-born citizens should be stopped,” he said. “Freedom of movement by all native-born citizens of both countries should be encouraged and not restricted.