Jacinda Ardern will press Australian PM on citizenship
19 July 2019 2:48 pm
Collette Devlin - Stuff
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is in Melbourne until Friday afternoon, is set to meet Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison before she leaves.
Ardern said she would press New Zealand's interests, such as Kiwis living in Australia who struggle for citizenship, despite having lived there for a long time. “The benefits of citizenship is something I consistently raise and will continue to do so.”
She would also raise deportation, which she said was damaging to the relationship between New Zealand and Australia. “I consider that to be a corrosive part of policy and it's having a corrosive effect on our relationship, so I will continue to raise it.”
There were cases, such as criminal cases, where deportation was legitimate, but there had been cases of people with almost no connection to New Zealand being sent here, she said.
Ardern was swept up into a flurry of Australian media during her meeting with Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, where they discussed the Government's approach to mental health and domestic violence.
Her final engagement for the evening was to deliver a keynote speech on why good government matters, at the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) event in Melbourne Town Hall. The event on Thursday night attracted more than 2,000 people. Ardern appeared to rapturous applause, and was told that she had put fire in the belly and power in the hearts of Australians.
Read the full Stuff article.