Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Government Refugee Policies Not Working

News that 1800 asylum seekers who've been refused refugee status are still living in New Zealand, shows this government's refugee policies are not working, ACT leader Richard Prebble says.

"In Australia, would-be asylum-seekers are held in detention camps until their applications are processed. But in New Zealand, asylum-seekers are free to come and go as they please, with no incentive to speed up their application.

"By the time their application is turned down, officials don't even have their address. We are, as the Australian Immigration Minister has repeatedly warned, a soft target.

"It's no good Phil Goff issuing statements about 20 years jail for people-smugglers, when it clearly pays for people to enter New Zealand illegally.

"It's also disturbing that despite the amnesty for overstayers, there are now more than 14,000 of them. I note this anti-business government blames employers. It's not employers' job to run the immigration service.

"Questions have to be asked about how the overstayers got a visa to come to New Zealand in the first place.

"This isn't a minor matter. In Auckland this year, some 2000 secondary pupils arrived at school to find no teacher because the government hadn't prepared for the huge influx of migrants. And now we learn a significant number of these migrants are here illegally.

"Two thousand pupils whose education is suffering, is a huge price to pay for this government's poor administration of the immigration portfolio.

"It's time the government stopped being politically correct and put the needs of New Zealanders first," Mr Prebble said.

ENDS


Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.