We’ve heard a lot in recent days about the deportation of Kiwis with criminal convictions.

However, there has been less media attention for an issue that is even more shocking – the attempted deportation of Australian-born children of New Zealanders.

These deportation proceedings have been instigated in relation to children born to parents who are New Zealand citizens by descent. These children do not qualify for Australian citizenship due to the 2001 changes. They also do not qualify for New Zealand citizenship as citizenship can only be passed on by descent for one generation.
As they have neither Australian nor NZ citizenship, the Australian Government considers that they have no right to be in Australia.

In the past, the Government has taken a more reasonable approach and allowed time for parents to sort out this sort of situation. It is only recently that it has taken a more hardline approach.

This situation is absurd and would be comical if it were not so awful. How does it make sense to deport small children born in Australia to parents entitled to remain indefinitely in the country?

View the Radio NZ source and listen to an interview with David Faulkner.