Australian politicians confirm New Zealanders’ citizenship pathway will stay after election

The campaign of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (right), here with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, says a Liberal-National coalition Government would not change the citizenship rules for Kiwis. Photo / AFP

• The Australian Opposition has pledged to retain the direct citizenship pathway for New Zealanders if it wins the next federal election.
• The policy, introduced in 2023 by the Albanese Government, allows most Kiwis to apply for Australian citizenship after four years of living there, without needing permanent residency first.
• The election is next weekend.

New Zealanders’ pathway to Australian citizenship is likely to stay following the federal election next Saturday, with the current opposition confirming it will keep the current rules.

While most New Zealanders can live and work freely in Australia, gaining citizenship was incredibly difficult after a 2001 decision by Prime Minister John Howard to strip the pathway to citizenship.

This meant Kiwis living in Australia were cut off from access some health and education benefits, despite, in some cases, having lived there for decades.

In 2023, the Anthony Albanese-led Labor Government changed this, introducing a direct citizenship pathway for New Zealanders.

The Australian Associated Press (AAP) has reported that the Liberal-National Coalition says it will keep the policy if it wins the election.

The AAP asked the Dutton campaign what it planned to do about the rules.

A spokesperson for the campaign was categorical: “A Dutton coalition Government will not change the current policy which allows for a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand citizens”.

The coalition has, in the past, been critical of aspects of transtasman migration.

When the pathway was introduced, immigration spokesman Dan Tehan raised concerns it might put pressure on welfare and housing.

“Over time, we might see New Zealand citizens come in here to access our welfare system – that has a cost,” Tehan said.

“We’re seeing soaring rents, there’s a housing crisis ... so additional New Zealanders come in here because of these changes, what impact will it have on our housing shortages?” he said.

Other tensions remain. Liberal leader Peter Dutton, when Home Affairs Minister under the last coalition Government, was a champion of 501 deportations. He memorably described one deportation flight to Auckland as “taking out the trash”.

The current Labor Government came under pressure last year for its softer position on 501 deportations and was itself forced to walk these back slightly.

Thomas Coughlan is the NZ Herald political editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.