Kiwi deportees perhaps were the focus of Luxon’s talks with Albanese – but not for long
Kiwis for some time have been rankled by Australia’s deporting to New Zealand criminals born in NZ but with very little connection to the land of their birth. Our political leaders have dutifully remonstrated with their Australian counterparts on the matter, but to no satisfactory effect.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is reported to have had another crack when he met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra last week,
The issue of the deportees “ was a focus of the meeting”, according to the New Zealand Herald.
But he made no headway, the newspaper reported.
He said New Zealand’s “incredibly strong” relationship with Australia has not been hindered by this lack of headway.
“The New Zealand/Australia relationship is bigger than this,” Christopher Luxon said, after his third meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra yesterday.
So were deportees a focus of that meeting?
Maybe that’s what he told reporters, but in a prime ministerial press statement headed Trans-Tasman relationship in great shape, he makes no mention of deportees.
Nor are deportees mentioned in the joint statement released by the Anzac leader at the conclusion of the meeting, at which they agreed to do more to ensure the trans-Tasman alliance remains fit for the modern context.
The PM’s press statement and the joint leaders’ statement can be found alongside news from Deputy PM Winston Peters on the Beehive website.
Peters’ news had nothing to do with foreign affairs. As Minister of Racing he was announcing four appointments to the TAB New Zealand Board.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown issued a statement, too: he was releasing the new $1.3 billion Road Policing Investment Programme (2024-2027) which – he tells us – will “heavily” target drunk drivers and drugged drivers to improve safety on our roads.
And Agriculture Minister Todd McClay was vying for attention with a list of 20 government actions which he said are freeing up the rural economy.
But he made no headway, the newspaper reported.
He said New Zealand’s “incredibly strong” relationship with Australia has not been hindered by this lack of headway.
“The New Zealand/Australia relationship is bigger than this,” Christopher Luxon said, after his third meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra yesterday.
So were deportees a focus of that meeting?
Maybe that’s what he told reporters, but in a prime ministerial press statement headed Trans-Tasman relationship in great shape, he makes no mention of deportees.
Nor are deportees mentioned in the joint statement released by the Anzac leader at the conclusion of the meeting, at which they agreed to do more to ensure the trans-Tasman alliance remains fit for the modern context.
The PM’s press statement and the joint leaders’ statement can be found alongside news from Deputy PM Winston Peters on the Beehive website.
Peters’ news had nothing to do with foreign affairs. As Minister of Racing he was announcing four appointments to the TAB New Zealand Board.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown issued a statement, too: he was releasing the new $1.3 billion Road Policing Investment Programme (2024-2027) which – he tells us – will “heavily” target drunk drivers and drugged drivers to improve safety on our roads.
And Agriculture Minister Todd McClay was vying for attention with a list of 20 government actions which he said are freeing up the rural economy.
Latest from the Beehive
19 August 2024
Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced four appointments to the TAB New Zealand (TAB NZ) Board.
18 August 2024
Drunk drivers and drugged drivers will be heavily targeted to improve safety on our roads by the new $1.3 billion Road Policing Investment Programme RPIP (2024-2027) which has been released today.
Hard working men and women of rural NZ are doing their bit to help rebuild our economy, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today.
16 August 2024
The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, welcomed the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, to Canberra for their first annual Australia-New Zealand Leaders’ Meeting on 16 August 2024.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has wrapped up a successful two-day visit to Australia, with a meeting in Canberra with his counterpart Anthony Albanese.
In the statement about his chat with the Aussie leader, Christopher Luxon said:
“Prime Minister Albanese and I discussed our work together in support of Pacific priorities. We are both looking forward to the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, where we will meet leaders from across the region.
“We also invited our Defence Ministers to sign a renewed Joint Statement on Closer Defence Relations so our defence forces work even more seamlessly together.”
Boosting economic integration and trading opportunities were also front and centre.
“Australia is our most important economic partner and we want to make it even easier to do business across the Tasman,” Mr Luxon says.
“Both countries are focused on promoting greater regulatory alignment, including in new areas like the clean energy transition. There is also a commitment to make trans-Tasman trade more seamless by improving parts of our mutual recognition arrangements so they remain fit for purpose.”
That was it.
But he did say that, while in Sydney, he met with members of the New South Wales Government, gained insight through a set of infrastructure-focused calls, met with Australian business leaders and investors, and delivered a speech to the Lowy Institute.
The speech has been the subject of analysis on Point of Order.
The joint leaders’ statement covered several issues.
Travel was one of them:
Prime Ministers endorsed the work of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group and its vision for easier travel between Australia and New Zealand while ensuring the highest levels of security at our borders, and thanked industry for their efforts. They announced that governments and industry would implement this vision via coordinated activities to enhance traveller experience. This would include Australia trialling a digital incoming passenger card for the first time, and New Zealand upgrading eGates. Prime Ministers noted these were steps towards ‘contactless travel’ when passengers would be able to rely on digital credentials throughout the airport journey.
But the vexed issue of the flights across the Tasman of deportees – only in one direction – was not mentioned.
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
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