Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese unite against Jacinda Ardern

Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese answer Jacinda Ardern’s calls to stop deporting criminal Kiwis.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern takes questions after delivering a speech titled '"Why Does Good Government Matter?" at Melbourne Town Hall last night. Picture; AAP.

The Coalition and Labor have united against Jacinda Ardern’s calls to stop the deportation of New Zealanders who have committed offences in Australia.

The New Zealand Prime Minister says the deportation of some convicted criminals born in her country — even if they have resided in Australia for decades — has had a “corrosive” effect on the Australia-New Zealand relationship.

But Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton both defended the longstanding policy this morning.

“We haven’t argued for change in this area,” the Opposition Leader told the Nine Network.

“We think that the balance is essentially right but it is legitimate if there are issues for Jacinda Ardern to raise those with Scott Morrison.

“We don’t want to see this to be a partisan debate. New Zealand is a very good friend of Australia.”

News Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to raise Australia’s deportation laws in a meeting today with Scott Morrison. #9News pic.twitter.com/aF11pEdC6p

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) July 18, 2019

Ms Ardern will meet with Scott Morrison today where she will advocate for a change to Australian deportation laws, as other New Zealand prime ministers have in the past decade.

The New Zealand leader said while some deportations were justified, she did not want criminals who had spent most of their lives in Australia in her country.

“We have seen cases where there is also almost no connection of an individual to New Zealand who has been deported,” she said last night in Melbourne.

“I consider that to be a corrosive part of that policy. And it’s having a corrosive effect on our relationship.”

The Home Affairs Minister told the Nine Network today there would be no change from the government.

“We need to stand up for Australians and the New Zealand Prime Minister is rightly doing that for her people,” he said.

“But where we have Australian citizens who are falling victim in certain circumstances where people are sexually offending against children for example, we have had a big push to try to

deport those paedophiles and people who have committed those crimes.

“I believe strongly that the Australian people would support that stance as well.”