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New Zealanders in Australia: neglected and vulnerable New Zealanders in Australia: neglected and vulnerable
(5 months later)
When I came to Australia at the age of 12, When I came to Australia at the age of 12, I never expected to find myself age 23 with no access to social security. If I lost my job tomorrow, I’d be broke in four weeks time – and there’d be no Newstart or Youth Allowance to fall back on.
I never expected to find myself age 23 with no access to social security. If I In 2001, two years before my family moved from Auckland to Adelaide, the then Howard government changed the visa rights for New Zealanders who moved to Australia. Previously, Kiwis were immediately eligible for Australian residency. But after 2001, every New Zealander who crossed the Tasman was placed on a non-protected special category visa (SCV), a temporary visa that is unique to New Zealanders and can be altered at any time. We can live here, work here, and access Medicare. But beyond that, services are limited. If people on SCVs want permanent residency and the benefits attached to it, there are few available options. Permanent residency is granted when people meet criteria that make them valuable to the Australian community – and that usually means having a long-term relationship with an Australian citizen, being highly skilled, or being a wealthy under-50 year-old with plans to invest in an Australian company. For many people, especially young New Zealanders who moved here as kids, the criteria are hard to meet and the consequences of staying on a SCV can be severe.
lost my job tomorrow, I’d be broke in four weeks time – and there’d be no While Australians living in New Zealand can access most social services, including single parenting payments and student loans, Kiwis in Australia do not get HECS, youth allowance, or even Centrelink job seeker support. If we have a bad month, it can quickly become a bad year, decade, or lifetime.
Newstart or Youth Allowance to fall back on. I’ve had a lot of luck. I’m part Maori, and my tribe, Tainui, helped to pay for my university degrees. During university I lived on a combination of part-time jobs, my parents, and the occasional emergency loan. For the past three years, I’ve had enough work to stay financially independent. But others are struggling.
In 2001, two years before my family moved In 2013, Erina Anderson founded Iwi n Aus, a volunteer lobby group working to shed light on the difficulties New Zealanders face in Australia. Erina spends a lot of time speaking with Kiwis in precarious situations, and recently met a woman who moved to Queensland with her husband in 2003. The husband was awarded citizenship in order to work in the Australian Army, but his wife and their three children were only given special category visas. Last year, the woman’s husband returned from military deployment wanting a separation from his wife. He kicked her out of the house and, when she sought help from social services and a women's refuge, she was denied access because she is not a permanent resident. “This was a woman who’d been awarded medals for all of the community work she did in the army barracks,” Erina says. “But she’s been homeless for the past year. It’s not until something goes wrong that you realise how vulnerable and neglected New Zealanders in Australia are”.
from Auckland to Adelaide, the then Howard government changed the visa rights Earlier this year, a prime time current affairs programme ran a story that characterised Kiwis as “dole bludgers”, people coming to Australia to steal jobs and hack into the welfare system. Amongst other things, it ignored the difficulties faced by people who migrate because their parents or partners choose to do so. As a recent university graduate, I spend a lot of time searching for grants, scholarships, internships – the opportunities advertised to us from puberty through to graduation. But despite my ties to Australia, I’m often ineligible because I’m not a not a permanent resident.
for New Zealanders who moved to Australia. Previously, Kiwis were immediately It’s definitely a first world problem, but it’s indicative of something bigger. When migrants in Australia hit dead ends, the advice from government bodies, social services, and strangers who comment on Facebook threads is: if you can’t find the services you need here, go back home.
eligible for Australian residency. But after 2001, every New Zealander who But “home” isn’t always the place you’ll find on your passport. For the ex-army wife sleeping rough, the choice to return to New Zealand is complicated by the fact that she has three children in Australia who she’s unwilling to abandon. For me, Australia is just my home: it’s where I went to school, met my partner, and have spent years building my life. But if things ever got tough – if I lost my job, or had an accident – then this home would start looking pretty inhospitable.
crossed the Tasman was placed on a non-protected special category visa (SCV),
a temporary visa that is unique to New Zealanders and can be altered at any
time. We can live here, work here, and access Medicare. But beyond that,
services are limited. If people on SCVs want permanent residency and the
benefits attached to it, there are few available options. Permanent residency
is granted when people meet criteria that make them valuable to the Australian
community – and that usually means having a long-term relationship with an
Australian citizen, being highly skilled, or being a wealthy under-50 year-old
with plans to invest in an Australian company. For many people, especially young New
Zealanders who moved here as kids, the criteria are hard to meet and the
consequences of staying on a SCV can be severe.
While Australians living in New Zealand can access most
social services, including single parenting payments and student
loans, Kiwis in Australia do not get HECS, youth allowance, or even Centrelink
job seeker support. If we have a bad month, it can quickly become a bad year, decade,
or lifetime.
I’ve had a lot of luck. I’m part Maori, and my tribe, Tainui,
helped to pay for my university degrees. During university I lived on a
combination of part-time jobs, my parents, and the occasional emergency loan. For
the past three years, I’ve had enough work to stay financially independent. But others are struggling.
In 2013, Erina Anderson founded Iwi n Aus, a volunteer lobby group working to shed light on
the difficulties New Zealanders face in Australia. Erina spends a lot of time
speaking with Kiwis in precarious situations, and recently met a woman who moved
to Queensland with her husband in 2003. The husband was awarded citizenship in
order to work in the Australian Army, but his wife and their three children
were only given special category visas. Last year, the woman’s husband returned
from military deployment wanting a separation from his wife. He kicked her out
of the house and, when she sought help from social services and a women's refuge,
she was denied access because she is not a permanent resident. “This was a
woman who’d been awarded medals for all of the community work she did in the
army barracks,” Erina says. “But she’s been homeless for the past year. It’s
not until something goes wrong that you realise how vulnerable and neglected
New Zealanders in Australia are”.
Earlier this year, a prime time current affairs programme ran a story
that characterised Kiwis as “dole bludgers”, people coming to Australia to steal jobs and hack into the welfare system.
Amongst other things, it ignored the difficulties faced by people who migrate
because their parents or partners choose to do so. As a recent university
graduate, I spend a lot of time searching for grants, scholarships, internships
– the opportunities advertised to us from puberty through to graduation. But
despite my ties to Australia, I’m often ineligible because I’m not a not a
permanent resident.
It’s definitely a first world problem, but it’s indicative of
something bigger. When migrants in Australia hit dead ends, the advice from
government bodies, social services, and strangers who comment on Facebook
threads is: if you can’t find the services you need here, go back home.
But “home” isn’t always the place you’ll
find on your passport. For the ex-army wife sleeping rough, the choice to return
to New Zealand is complicated by the fact that she has three children in
Australia who she’s unwilling to abandon. For me, Australia is just my home: it’s
where I went to school, met my partner, and have spent years building my life. But
if things ever got tough – if I lost my job, or had an accident – then this
home would start looking pretty inhospitable.