Peter Dutton hits back at NZ amid ‘airy fairy’ jibe from Justice Minister

Peter Dutton has responded to the latest jibe from NZ’s Justice Minister, who ridiculed Australia’s “airy fairy” character test.

Home Affaird Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at New Zealand’s Justice Minister. Picture: AAP

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has hit back at New Zealand’s Justice Minister, saying criminal non-citizens in Australia can expect to have their visas cancelled, after Andrew Little dubbed Australia’s deportation character test “nebulous” and “airy fairy”.

The two ministers have been exchanging jibes since Tuesday, when Mr Little told the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent there appeared to be a “venal, political strain” to Australia’s deportation policies and that they were “certainly not consistent with any humanitarian ideals I thought both countries once shared.”

Mr Dutton slammed the comments yesterday, saying Australia does a lot for New Zealand and he hoped Mr Little would not repeat his comments.

“We’re a big land mass between them and boats coming from Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” Mr Dutton said.

“New Zealand don’t contribute really anything to the defence effort that we’ve got where we’re trying to surveil boats that might be on their way to New Zealand, so I hope that Andrew Little reflects a little more on the relationship between Australia and New Zealand where we do a lot of the heavy lifting.

“We intercept boats, we try to stop them making their way to New Zealand, and there’s a lot to this relationship, and I was really disappointed in Mr Little’s comments during the week and I hope that he doesn’t repeat them.”

This morning Mr Little did hit back, telling Radio New Zealand Australia’s Migration Act allowed people to be deported back to their countries of origin even if they had little connection with them.

“The grounds for deportation are based on this good character test, but it is very nebulous, very airy fairy and could be used for all sorts of things and on a human rights basis that’s not right,” Mr Little said.

“I’ve done my job as Minister of Justice and advocated for the human right of New Zealand citizens.

“We have a very strong trans-Tasman relationship but its not one-way, it’s got to be a mutual relationship.”

New Zealand Justice Minister Andrew Little. Picture: Getty

Mr Dutton responded, saying he was no friend of criminals.

“Let’s be clear about it. I have cancelled more visas in the last 12 months than Labor did in six years, including 184 outlaw motorcycle gang members who are the biggest distributors of ice, amphetamine and fentanyl in this country, and I’m going to continue to do it,” he said.

“The law is very clear in Australia: that is, if you are not an Australian citizen and you have committed an offence, which puts you outside the conditions of your visa or puts you in breach of the Migration Act, you stand to have your visa cancelled, and I don’t make any apology for that.

“We have had a particular focus also on people who have committed sexual offences against Australian children and Australian women, and I’m going to continue to cancel those visas and to deport those people because I want to make our society a safer place.

“I discriminate not on somebody’s ethnic background, not on their religion, not on their country of origin, but on the fact that they have conducted themselves against the law, outside of the law.

“If they’re criminals, then they can expect to have their visas cancelled. I’ve been very clear about that.”

Mr Dutton said the character test was “very clear” within the Migration Act, which passed parliament with Labor’s support.