Australia urged to back up parole

Foreign Minister Phil Goff wants to pass a law forcing New Zealand criminals deported from Australia on to parole when they arrive here - but first he needs more help from Australia.

He passed a formal letter to his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, during talks on Waiheke Island at the weekend, asking that he do what he can to put the hard word on state Governments to help New Zealand.

The move comes after news that Australia plans to deport a so-called human crime wave, Patricia Carol Toia, 26, who has been sentenced to more than 30 jail terms, though the parole initiative predates that.

Before Mr Goff passes the law he wants a commitment from at least some Australian states that New Zealand would be supplied with the relevant information needed to set parole conditions for deportees, such as conviction and sentence details, psychological reports, pre-sentence and pre-release reports, medical reports, and a list of criminal convictions.

"It has just moved far more slowly than I am comfortable with," Mr Goff told the Herald last night.

"I want to try to get some momentum into it."

He has given up trying to get Australian states to extend their parole provisions of deportees to New Zealand. Instead New Zealand will control a new parole regime, if the Australians play ball.

Trying to get material from state governments and persuade them it was a priority was not easy. It had been raised before at various forums in Australia by New Zealand and received a sympathetic response "but we're having difficulty getting a practical response".

Mr Downer was asked to get his Foreign Affairs officials to at least let New Zealand know whether it would be able to supply the information.

Of the 400,000 New Zealanders living in Australia, up to 200 have been deported in the past few years under its arbitrary policy to deport all foreign criminals.

Police in both countries liaise informally when serious offenders are deported, but Mr Goff wants it nailed down.