This week Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern met Australia's new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to swap records, have dinner and spend a day in bilateral talks.  

Jacinda Ardern is the first foreign leader to visit the new Prime Minister in Australia and it’s the first time she’s been back across the ditch since 2020.  

By many accounts, the trip went well. Clearly, there is a rapport between the two, which you’d expect as they’re familiar with each other and sit on the same side of the political fence. Let’s be honest, considering how frosty the relationship between our nations’ leaders has been over the last couple of years things could only improve.  

On the agenda was the deportation of New Zealanders under the 501 section of the Australian Migration Act, by which New Zealand citizens who have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison or convicted of child sex offences can be sent back to New Zealand. A small number are deported on character grounds – such as gang links or being considered a risk to national security. 

Most of the offences that result in a visa cancellation in Australia are serious – armed robbery, murder and sexual offences; but a third are for non-violent offences such as theft, fraud, driving and drug offences. Sometimes, a conviction isn’t even required.  

Prime Minister Ardern was asking for consideration to be made around those deportees who, for all intents and purposes, are Australian – often with zero connection to New Zealand, sometimes not even having stepped foot there. This makes sense. After all, if Australia is home, where they did their offending, served their sentence and paid their debt to society, deporting them is merely a lack of social responsibility.  

Up until now, no Prime Minister has had any luck negotiating with Australia on this policy, so it was pleasing to hear Albanese say he’s heard Ardern’s concerns, will work through some of the issues raised, and that there is more work to do.  

However, I wouldn’t hold your breath for any great change. 

The 501 deportees will still keep coming, and that, unfortunately, is Australia’s right.  

Since 2015, over 2,500 people have been deported to New Zealand. Australia is not alone in doing this; New Zealand deported around 400 people back to the islands between 2013–2018. Countries deport people.  

This is a popular policy in Australia. It’s a vote winner for political parties; it makes them look like they’re taking strong action against crime. Australia will always look after Australia first. 

So, the policy is not going away and we need to accept it. The impact of deportee arrivals has been underestimated by the National-led government in 2015 and now by the Labour government. No one has done enough to address this issue, monitor deportees, or help them re-integrate into NZ successfully.  

The Police have made very clear the impact some deportees are having on gang violence and crime. It’s time to put robust measures in place to deal with this situation at our end; rather than continue to wait for Australia to show some mercy.