Analysis: The Anzac spirit will be commemorated on April 25, but when it comes to the rights of Kiwis living in Australia, we’re still not treated like mates.
As the prime minister prepares to go to Brisbane over the weekend, it raises the question about whether changes are finally on the way.
New Zealand prime ministers have made the plea for equality for decades. Making an announcement on the eve of Anzac Day would make it an easier sell for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Getting citizenship is a lengthy and expensive process. For the 700,000 Kiwis living across the ditch, it’s fine until things go wrong. A child is born with a disability - for example - or someone has a major accident at work. That’s when things get tricky.
Australians living in New Zealand have the peace of mind of a safety net. Like us, they pay tax. Kiwis paying tax in Australia do not have the same comfort.
501 deportees have been a point of contention for years between the two countries. Australia was deporting criminals with little or no connection to New Zealand. Applying a “common sense” approach - as both Albanese and Hipkins put it - was a step in the right direction, but there’s still progress for Kiwis that needs to be made.
AUKUS – a security deal - is another issue casting a shadow on the trip although it’s unlikely we’ll see any developments this weekend.
Australia, the UK and the US have buddied up and second-hand nuclear submarines are on the way to Australia from the US. New Zealand could never be part of that pillar of the deal but it’s worth considering whether we can tag in when it comes to things like intelligence sharing. We don’t want to be left out but there’s a level of apprehension about jumping into a deal given our anti-nuclear stance.
It would be fitting for the two prime ministers to mark Anzac Day during Chris Hipkins' visit. It’s an emotive occasion to remember the sacrifice our soldiers made.
In the meantime, we will wait to see what gains New Zealand can make when it comes to citizenship.
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