'Bludger myth' hurting Kiwis - Protesters

Iwi in Aus organised rallies to raise awareness for discrimination against Kiwis living in Australia. Photo / Getty Images

The myth of the "Kiwi dole bludger" is preventing hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders living in Australia from accessing equal rights and opportunities, according to a group which staged protest rallies across the country yesterday.

Erina Anderson, co-founder of the group Iwi in Aus, said debate had been distorted by the widely held belief that "if the rules change, New Zealanders will flood in and sponge off Australia ... It's a complex and deeply misunderstood issue, and the argument constantly gets skewed around benefits."

Iwi in Aus, which organised a rally in Melbourne yesterday morning and planned to hold demonstrations in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast last night, has been campaigning for a year for New Zealanders living in Australia to be given citizenship and the vote, as well as access to higher education loans, welfare payments and jobs in the government and military.

Until February 26, 2001, Australians and New Zealanders who crossed the Tasman continued to enjoy rights similar to those at home. But a deal struck by then Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Howard stripped Kiwis living in Australia of those rights - although they still have to pay tax.

Of the estimated 300,000 New Zealanders who moved to Australia after that date, many are suffering hardship. Admitted on so-called special category visas, they have no right to disability care, social housing or other welfare benefits. Some say this has created a "permanent underclass" of New Zealanders trapped in a cycle of homelessness and poverty.

The Melbourne rally was attended by just 30 protesters, but "a whole lot of people came to wish us luck", Ms Anderson told the Herald. "We know we're not going to start out big, because it's all been grassroots campaigning. We have no political voice, because we can't vote.

"We're ordinary people who are desperate, really. We're all mums and dads and grandparents who can see the bigger picture, the profound effects not just here and now, but into the lives and futures of our children and grandchildren."

After Prime Minister John Key met Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott during a visit to Sydney this month, he welcomed Mr Abbott's confirmation that long-term New Zealand residents would be able to obtain student loans. But as far as other issues are concerned, Anderson believes Mr Key "isn't fighting our corner".

The legislative changes in 2001 have left New Zealanders unable to become permanent residents - and thus citizens - unless they fulfil the same strict age and skills criteria as anyone else seeking to migrate.

While the special category visa allows them to live and work here permanently, "we can never be part of this country", said Ms Anderson.

"We're not coming over here to get handouts. But we'd like to be able to vote.

"We'd like our kids to be entitled to the same things as other kids.

"We'd like to know that if we lose our jobs, we're not going to lose our home as well.

"We pay our taxes the same as everyone else. If they don't want us here, they should stop letting us in so freely."