HARSH Australian residency laws are forcing record numbers of New Zealanders on to Gold Coast streets.

According to several Gold Coast social welfare organisations the number of homeless Kiwis on the Gold Coast is growing rapidly.

Wendy Coe, of Rosies, said strict visa rules meant many New Zealanders couldn’t get access to Centrelink so if a family member lost their job, unless they got another job almost immediately, it put families under financial stress.

“While we don’t keep records, in the past 12 months we have seen a big increase especially in Southport,” she said.

“That’s where our drop-in centre is so they come in to get food boxes and ask about services.”

Vicky Rose, of the Nerang Neighbourhood Centre, said she had been at the centre for six years and the numbers of New Zealanders in need had steadily grown.

“Half of the inquiries the centre is receiving are from New Zealanders in crisis,” she said.

“They are not all new arrivals either, they are people who have been living in Australia for a while and were doing well, but have now found themselves unemployed or sick and so have found what their residency status really means.

“Because so many work in casual positions in jobs like hospitality and construction a crisis for them could be something as simple as rain.

“If rain shuts down a building site for a week that could cause a crisis for many.

“Paying taxes hasn’t secured them any help even years down the track.

“It’s really sad and unsettling to be treated as an outsider after contributing to the economy/country for years. And to be told to go home is not really an answer.”

Ms Rose ran for a seat in the New Zealand parliament for the Expats Party which formed to lobby that government to open negotiations with the Australian government to secure a better deal for expatriate New Zealanders in Australia.

She said 60 per cent of New Zealanders who moved to this country after 2001 wouldn’t meet Australia’s strict residency criteria.

Ms Rose said differing residency definitions between Australian states and federal departments also caused confusion.

“For some schemes you qualify as a resident if you have a Medicare care and reside in the country,” she said.

“However, for Centrelink purposes residency is lot stricter.”