Talk on Kiwis in Aust.

Press, 20 September 1982, Page 10

Talk on Kiwis in Aust.

NZPA Canberra The number and type of New Zealanders entering and working in Australia were debated at a Federal Government joint parties meet-, ing. One Government member spoke about the growing problem of people going to Australia on non-working visas and then getting jobs. Another related an incident of visiting a school in his electorate where there had been 137 new enrolments —11 l of them New Zealanders. The member of Parliament said that too many ol the New Zealanders going to Australia were unskilled and that New Zealanders should be treated on the same basis as people visiting or migrating from other countries. Other Parliamentarians expressed the view that Australia’s relationship with New Zealand was a special one. It was suggested that even closer ties should be sought and nothing done to breach the long-standing close relationship. One member said that New Zealand was “part of the family” and therefore rated special consideration. The Minister of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, Mr John Hodges, noted'the Government’s decision to require New Zealanders entering Australia to have a passport. He was not advocating the use of visas. He said that about 40 per cent of New Zealanders who went to Australia finally settled in Queensland, about 34 per cent in New South Wales, and 14 per cent in Victoria.-

He drew attention to the fact that deportations were a big problem for Australia, and a big proportion of criminal deportations were of New Zealanders. The net increase of New Zealanders in Australia was running at 14,000 a year. New Zealanders coming to Australia are some of the best people New Zealand has to offer, according to the Australian Prime Minister. Mr Fraser. His defence of New Zealanders came after the subject was debated at a Government parties meeting. The parties meeting pointed to a growing number of New Zealanders, entering Australia to work; that many were unskilled; and that , they should be treated the same as other migrants. “I have always been under the impression that the people who come from New Zealand are some of the best of New Zealand,” Mr Fraser told journalists in a doorstep interview. He said a passport system had been introduced to help control the movement of criminals across the Tasman. "That is only a tiny fraction, obviously, of the population movements between the two countries. “There is a very special relationship between New Zealand and Australia and the Government is going to maintain that special relationship.” Mr Fraser said. He had a former New Zealander working on his own staff and considered him to be “a very good citizen and a very solid member of my staff.” A New Zealand member of

Parliament has moved quickly to show that Australians feature prominently in New Zealand’s prisons. The Chief Government whip, Mr D. C. McKinnon, recalled his experience as a part-time debating organiser and tutor at the Paremoremo maximum security prison in the 10 years before his election to Parliament in 1978.

"I would have to say that Australians have always been successful in New Zealand prison debating teams," Mr McKinnon said.

“There were usually Australian inmates in any one of the top debating teams. “Over the years, in factr’L they also provided at leSsft;; one president and a series of secretaries of the Paremoremo Prison debating club," Mr McKinnon said.

“We certainly did not dis? criminate against them.”