Claire Trevett in the NZ Herald reports: “PM Jacinda Ardern gets blood out of a stone from Australia – this time.”
Again I’m forced to read between the lines (and BS). I understood that when Australia’s PM Scott Morrison announced his Government’s “Job Keeper” package, it was a domestic decision to ensure employers were able to continue production by way of securing their workforce. The fact some of those employees were New Zealanders would have been the last consideration when putting forward the proposal.
As was clearly stated in the “Australian Official Economic Response to Coronavirus Report”, funding was being made available “With the intention to support confidence, employment and business continuity”. With this in mind: “A Special Category visa (subclass 444) was introduced as a temporary visa which New Zealand citizens will be eligible for”. (Also it clearly states) “However they do not have the same rights and benefits as Australian citizens or permanent residents”.
The point is, nothing has changed regarding social welfare support for New Zealand citizens in Australia. If they are currently employed, this package enables their employer to continue trading with his/her existing staff irrelevant of their international status. Just as it was before the pandemic. So to suggest that the New Zealand PM’s intervention motivated a back down by the Australian PM is absolute bollocks. The motivation was to keep things as they were, nothing more, nothing less.
If you think for one moment that Scott Morrison would feel intimidated by an irritating yapping poodle, then you’d better think again. If a Kiwi can contribute to the Australian recovery by continuing to work then they are an asset. If not, then they’re on their own. So our New Zealand’s PM’s attempts to change Australia’s domestic welfare policies have been ignored yet again regardless of New Zealand’s MSM wanting you to think otherwise.
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