Kiwis trapped on the Gold Coast are unable to get unemployment benefits and desperate for answers

Gold Coast Kiwis suddenly thrown out of work say they’re furious about how they’re being treated by the government.

TRAPPED in Australia and made to feel like second-class citizens, Gold Coast Kiwis say it appears the long-treasured Anzac spirit is dying.

“We pay our tax and we work hard,” Kylie Rewi says. “We’re good people who love this country and living here. It’s just a shame the Government doesn’t care for us as our Kiwi government cares for Aussies living in New Zealand.”

The Pacific Pines cafe worker started an application online for Centrelink assistance and it came up with a message saying she didn’t meet the criteria “as I am a non-protected special category visa holder and I haven’t been in Australia longer than 10 years. I’ve been here seven”.

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Gold Coast Kiwi Kylie Rewi with daughter Laila, 3, has been told she isn't entitled to any unemployment benefits, yet works and pays taxes here. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

She is one of thousands of New Zealand citizens on the Gold Coast unable to access welfare benefits as the COVID-19 pandemic triggers mass unemployment across the country.

Unable to return home because New Zealand is in shutdown, Kiwis feel they’ve been abandoned by everyone, with the Ministry of Social Development telling the Bulletin it was “unable to provide assistance to New Zealanders living in Australia”.

A spokesperson for Minister of Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said “welfare assistance may be available to some other temporary visa holders if they face significant financial hardship under the Special Benefit payment”.

“New Zealand citizens in Australia on a Special Category Visa (subclass 444) may have access a range of payments, depending on their circumstances.”

Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston. Picture: Gary Ramage.

Yet a spokesman for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that “Australians resident in New Zealand are eligible for the Government’s COVID-19 support measures” regardless of the status of their visas.

Jane Morris said she was sick of not being treated with respect as a New Zealander, particularly considering the way Aussies were taken care of “back home”.

“It astounds me that despite the worldwide pandemic situation we find ourselves in, we Kiwis still are made to feel like second-class citizens, despite being hardworking taxpayers. So much for that Anzac spirit.”

Larah Little said Centrelink told her husband he would receive nothing as he’d been in the country for only nine years and that the Newstart allowance was only available for people who have been here for 10 years or more.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called on the Australian Government to help Kiwis in Australia. Picture: AAP.

“She suggested drawing down from his super. I asked if there was any leniency and she said as far as she had been told, no. We can apply for family tax benefits as we have a son born in Australia but that’s depending on previous income and is only available to parents,” she said.

A spokesman for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “We are discussing the situation of New Zealanders in Australia with the Australian Government.

“There are strong public health reasons for supporting New Zealanders in Australia who are sick or unable to work because of COVID-19.”

The Bulletin asked Federal Gold Coast MP Stuart Robert if he would put pressure on the social services minister to ensure all New Zealanders out of work because of the coronavirus would get some financial support. He did not respond.