Migrant row: Robson ejected

By RUTH BERRY, political reporter

Progressive MP Mat Robson was ejected from the House yesterday, after refusing to apologise for claiming Winston Peters was leading "campaigns of hatred towards migrants".

Mr Robson's outburst came amid ongoing questioning by the New Zealand First leader about the number of benefits being paid to new migrants.

Mr Peters had earlier revealed immigrants on emergency benefits were costing the country $1.47 million a week.

He had been supplied with parliamentary answers which showed 5458 immigrants who had arrived in the past five years were in receipt of the benefit as at May 28.

Yesterday Mr Peters turned his sights on the number of immigrants on sickness and welfare benefits, aided by National MP Katherine Rich.

Their line of questioning was apparently too much for Mr Robson.

He asked Acting Associate Social Development Minister Rick Barker whether Government departments were providing the public with educational material which looked at the positive contribution of migrant communities "in order to counter the campaigns of hatred towards migrants run by New Zealand First."

Mr Peters tried to raise a point of order, but the Speaker said there was no need as he had already decided Mr Robson should apologise.

Denied the chance to speak to the point of order, Mr Robson refused to apologise and was asked to leave the debating chamber.

Mr Barker meanwhile appeared unable to tell the House why some immigrants were collecting benefits they were apparently not entitled to.

However, he was able to point to the fact the figures were rapidly decreasing.

Immigrants who have been in the country less than two years are not entitled to claim either the sickness or unemployment benefits.

They can however be given special sickness and hardship unemployment benefits.

Answers supplied to Ms Rich yesterday revealed that in 2000 there were 1389 immigrants collecting the unemployment benefit and 3728 collecting the hardship unemployment benefit.

Those numbers had respectively dropped to 118 and 512 so far this year.

Work and Income told Ms Rich some of the benefits not supposed to be granted could be for people from countries with reciprocal social security arrangements with New Zealand, while other clients may have had their arrival date incorrectly recorded.

The department was reviewing all clients who had been in New Zealand less than two years and on the two benefits.