Anthony Albanese has downplayed tensions with New Zealand’s prime minister who has expressed “grave concerns” over proposed changes to the way Australia deports non-citizens with criminal convictions.
The prime minister had a phone call with Christopher Luxon on Thursday morning, where the Kiwi leader voiced his disagreement over the abolishment of Direction 99.
The contentious ministerial directive was signed in January 2023 and rewrote visa cancellation rules to require decision-makers to consider a non-citizen’s ties to Australia when considering deportation.
Mr Albanese vowed to scrap the directive after it was revealed an independent tribunal had allowed non-citizens with serious criminal pasts the right to stay in Australia.
“I’ve got a good relationship with Prime Minister Luxon, I’ll be hosting him (in Australia) in a short period of time,” Mr Albanese told reporters.
“We have a good relationship. We had a good chat yesterday. Australia makes our decisions in our national interest.”
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles issued Direction 99 in January following complaints from New Zealand that violent criminals were being deported to their country even if they had spent most of their lives in Australia.
Mr Luxon told reporters in Auckland that he had spoken to Mr Albanese immediately after he heard the news that the directive would be revised.
“I have said to him that we regret that decision that they have taken to modify ministerial direction 99,” Mr Luxon said.
“All I can do at this point is raise in very clear terms our grave concerns about the change to that policy.
“It’s not fair that we get deportees coming back to New Zealand that have got very little connection – or no connection – to this country, that’s not right.”
The Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal, a powerful independent body that interprets government laws around visas, appeared at Senate estimates on Friday.