Focus Live: PM Chris Hipkins meets with Australian PM Anthony Albanese
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins he wants to make travel between the two countries “seamless”.
The pair met in Wellington today and announced a taskforce that would look at making travel between the two countries easier, without compromising on biosecurity.
“Today, we agreed to put together a joint Australia-New Zealand expert group, with a clear deadline of 12 months, to scope initiatives to move closer towards seamless travel across the Tasman,” Hipkins said.
“We agreed it’s worthwhile to re-engage on a process to find workable measures that would help transtasman businesses and tourism with a simplified border. But it’s not straightforward. Our border is a big part of what keeps us safe. It’s where we manage major biosecurity, people, health and security risks,” Hipkins said.
Albanese said the two countries were “looking at a seamless experience going from country to country”.
He said New Zealand and Australia could make better use of “SmartGate” technology already in use on both sides of the Tasman, which would mean that “before you get on a plane in either country, it’s already recognised that you are ‘okay’ to come in”.
Albanese is in Wellington for bilateral meetings and to celebrate Australia and New Zealand jointly hosting the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
He said it was the pair’s fifth meeting since Hipkins became Prime Minister in February.
“The first person I welcomed as Prime Minister in Australia was Prime Minister Ardern. Your visit so soon after was a very welcome one,” Albanese said at the top of the pair’s bilateral meeting.
“Since then, the five meetings have helped cement the nature of the relationship - there are no two countries in the world that are closer,” he said.
“The five meetings have helped to cement the nature of our relationship, which is, of course, there are no two countries in the world that are closer [than] Australia and New Zealand.
“We share so much history, we share so much culture,” he said.
Albanese arrived at Parliament shortly after 1pm. He was welcomed with a pōwhiri before meeting Hipkins and Speaker Adrian Rurawhe.
He was then welcomed onto the floor of Parliament, where he attended Question Time. It was the first time an Australian Prime Minister has been in the Chamber since Julia Gillard addressed NZ Parliament in 2011.
Albanese, seated to the left of the Speaker, could be seen talking to National MP Simeon Brown, who was seated nearby.
The pair talked about how New Zealand’s Question Time works. Ministers in New Zealand get notice of what the first question they are asked will be, unlike in Australia, where ministers get no prior notice.
On Wednesday evening, he will attend a gala dinner hosted by Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at Government House, marking the 40th anniversary of the Closer Economic Relations (CER) Agreement between NZ and Australia.
It is not the only diplomatic visit to Wellington this week. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will also be visiting. He arrives tonight and will have a suite of engagements on Thursday morning.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was welcomed to Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ahead of Albanese’s visit, Hipkins said he believed “the transtasman relationship is the strongest it has been in decades”.
This is largely a result of Australia making tweaks to its controversial 501 deportation policy and opening up a pathway to citizenship for New Zealanders resident in Australia.
“Prime Minister Albanese’s visit is a chance to recognise our past achievements, to celebrate the progress we have made this year and to set ambitions for where Australia and New Zealand want to go next,” Hipkins said.
The pair are also celebrating the co-hosting of the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
“The Fifa Women’s World Cup is an example of how our countries work together to deliver on the world stage, and is a clear demonstration of our two countries’ strong commitment to gender equality and fairness,” Hipkins said.
