New Zealand’s deputy PM hits back at Peter Dutton, accusing him of putting his leadership ambitions ahead of trans-Tasman relationship

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

Winston Peters has invoked the tragedy of the Christchurch massacre in blasting Australia’s policy of forced deportations of non-citizens, saying an Australian was charged with “the worst tragedy we’ve ever had”, and nobody “sought to abuse Australia about that”.

New Zealand’s deputy prime minister on Tuesday escalated Jacinda Ardern’s recent evisceration of Australia’s policy, telling the ABC the home affairs minister Peter Dutton had implemented deportations for political reasons and for personal ambition, and Australia should be “better than that”.

Peters told ABC radio that the man on trial for mass murder over the massacre had “come to this country from Australia”.

“Did we make a song and dance about Australia about that?”

Jacinda Ardern lashes Scott Morrison for 'testing' friendship over deportations to New Zealand Read more

“It was the worst tragedy we’ve ever had – 51 people lost their lives and scores and scores were damaged forever. It was far worse than Port Arthur, and no one in my country sought to abuse Australia about that.”

Australian Brenton Tarrant is being prosecuted for the mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand last March. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial is due in June, and New Zealand is on high alert in the lead-up to the anniversary of the tragedy on 15 March.

Peters accused Dutton of putting short-term domestic politics, including his own leadership ambitions, above the trans-Tasman relationship. He said Australia’s policy began with politics “and we know who began it, and we know what happened when he went to run for the Liberal leadership, and he gets to the door and he knocks on it and it ends up being Scott Morrison, not Mr Dutton”.

“We all know the background of this, so let’s not shilly-shally around. We are both better than that.”

Forced deportations has been a point of friction in the bilateral relationship for several years, but has flared as New Zealand heads for the polls later this year. New Zealand police have said Australia’s policy is a significant factor behind a rise in domestic criminal gang activity.

Dutton said on Monday Ardern was accelerating criticism of the policy because of the looming election, and that was “regrettable”.

“New Zealand obviously is in an electoral cycle at the moment,” he told Sky News on Monday. “It is, I think, regrettable that she made the comments but that would have played well domestically for her.”

Peters rejected the commentary. He said the complaint from New Zealand was not about the election. “He’s wrong,” he said. Local police had raised the negative consequences of deportations of violent criminals because there was evidence of a growing problem. “We wouldn’t be saying it unless we had evidence.”

Jacinda Ardern brushes off criticism from Peter Dutton on deportation stance Read more

Peters argued Australia’s policy was fundamentally unfair: “You’ve sent thousands back to New Zealand and we’ve sent a handful back to you.”

He said Australia needed friends in the world and so did New Zealand. Australia asserted it had the right to deport citizens of other countries, but the conversation should be about fairness and about respect between two like-minded countries that had been allies for a couple of centuries.

During a visit to Australia last week, Ardern took her strongest stance yet opposing Australia’s policy of deporting New Zealand citizens, no matter how long they had spent in Australia, if they had committed a crime.

Play Video 2:08 Jacinda Ardern blasts Scott Morrison over Australia's deportation policy – video

Standing next to Scott Morrison in Sydney, Ardern said: “You have deported more than 2,000 individuals, and among them will be genuine Kiwis who do need to learn the consequences of their actions.

“But among those 2,000 are individuals who are too young to become criminals on our watch, they were too young to become patched gang members, too young to be organised criminals.

“We will own our people. We ask that Australia stops exporting theirs.”

Morrison said Australia had no plans to abandon the policy. “The Australian government’s policy is very clear,” he said. “We deport non-citizens who have committed crimes in Australia against our community.

“This policy is applied not specific to one country, but to any country whose citizens are here. You commit a crime here, if convicted, once you have done your time, we send you home.”