Sharp fall in New Zealander visa cancellations on character grounds

The Albanese government has been accused of going soft on criminals after figures show the number of New Zealanders living in Australia who have had their visas cancelled on character grounds has halved since Labor took office.

The Albanese government has been accused of “going soft on criminals, sex offenders and drug traffickers” after figures came to light showing that the number of New Zealanders living in Australia who have had their visas cancelled on character grounds has halved since Labor took office.

The revelations came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepared to welcome his Kiwi counterpart Chris Hipkins for a two-day visit on Saturday, less than one year after he promised New ­Zealand he would “work through” objections to criminal deportations.

According to Department of Home Affairs documents released under Freedom of Information requests, just 129 holders of “Subclass 444” visas, which allow New Zealand citizens to live and work in Australia, have had their permission to stay cancelled on character grounds in the 2022-23 financial year. These grounds can include significant criminal history and associations or convictions for serious crimes.

That is a small fraction of the number who had their visas cancelled in previous years.

Some 244 New Zealanders lost their residency rights in 2021-2022, while in the 2019-2020 financial year a whopping 466 were told by authorities that they were no longer welcome.

New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins (left) meets his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in February. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

In January, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles ordered his department to take a less hard-line position on Kiwis convicted of serious crimes, saying the amount of time they had spent in the country should be taken into account.

Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan lashed the government for its stance.

“Australians always worry that Labor don’t have the stomach to take the tough decisions to keep our country safe,” he said.

“They will now, rightly, be asking why is Labor going soft on criminals, sex offenders and drug traffickers.

“The Coalition refused or cancelled 10,206 visas under the character provision of the Migration Act, including 335 who were outlaw motorcycle gang members, associates, or organised crime figures.

“We did this to keep Australians safe.”

The figures mirror a broader decline in visa cancellations, with 280 cancellations this financial year versus 616 in 2021-22 and 914 in 2020-21.

Australia’s deportation of Kiwi criminals, particularly those who have spent much of their lives in Australia, has long been a sore diplomatic point between the two nations.

In 2020, then-New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern slammed Scott Morrison for “testing” trans-Tasman friendship, accusing the then-leader of “(deporting) your people and your problems”.

However, victims’ advocate Howard Brown said: “If you’re going to commit indictable offences while living here, you can go back home as far as I’m concerned.”

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Originally published as Sharp fall in New Zealander visa cancellations on character grounds