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New Zealand agrees to take refugees from Australia
Talks between Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Premier John Key have resulted in a deal being stuck that will see New Zealand take 150 refugees out of its neighbours system each year. The new agreement will be ongoing from next year according to Gillard and is likely to affect asylum seekers residing in processing centres on Nauru and Manus Island.
New Zealand currently takes in 750 refugees each year and Key said this figure was not going to increase and that it would now include the people being moved from Australia. He also said he did not believe the change in policy would encourage boats to come to New Zealand. Earlier this month however he did admit that he thought the arrival of refugees by sea was inevitable.
Scott Morrison, Australian immigration spokesman for the Opposition, said there should have been more focus on improving regional border controls and border protection technology and better training for customs and immigration officers.
Sarah Hanson Young from the Greens agreed saying moving refugees to New Zealand proved that Nauru and Manus Island had been failures. She added that rather than saving more lives the move would put more lives at risk as more people take risky boat trips.
Key has justified the move by saying it is a way of paying Australia back for sharing information on illegal migration and giving New Zealand access to sophisticated intelligence.
New Zealand currently takes in 750 refugees each year and Key said this figure was not going to increase and that it would now include the people being moved from Australia. He also said he did not believe the change in policy would encourage boats to come to New Zealand. Earlier this month however he did admit that he thought the arrival of refugees by sea was inevitable.
Scott Morrison, Australian immigration spokesman for the Opposition, said there should have been more focus on improving regional border controls and border protection technology and better training for customs and immigration officers.
Sarah Hanson Young from the Greens agreed saying moving refugees to New Zealand proved that Nauru and Manus Island had been failures. She added that rather than saving more lives the move would put more lives at risk as more people take risky boat trips.
Key has justified the move by saying it is a way of paying Australia back for sharing information on illegal migration and giving New Zealand access to sophisticated intelligence.
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