Well, you’ve got to give Jacinda Ardern credit for her chutzpah, if nothing else. Just a month after she publicly berated Australian PM Scott Morrison, she is holding out the begging bowl.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has asked Scott Morrison to temporarily lift the ban on Kiwis receiving unemployment benefits in Australia during the coronavirus pandemic.
In contrast to her fishwife screeching in Sydney last month, Ardern is suddenly all nicey-nice.
At a press conference on Tuesday Ms Ardern said she had made the request directly to Mr Morrison during a phone conversation.
“I have specifically sought could we have a short-term exemption? Just for these exceptional circumstances for New Zealanders to be supported,” she said.
Maybe Morrison should have refused to answer her phone call.
When she wasn’t wagging the finger about deporting Kiwi crims, Ardern was preening and lecturing the Australian government about climate change and refugees. As I wrote at the time, Ardern’s un-diplomatic immaturity wasn’t helping the trans-Tasman relationship. Now that she wants a favour, Ardern is finding that Morrison is, oddly enough, inclined to turn a deaf ear.
She noted there had been no changes to Australia’s policy since the conversation.
New Zealanders have been excluded access to welfare assistance since 2001.
A number of New Zealanders living in Australia have told SBS News they were extremely worried they would be left destitute without support from the Australian government.
While it’s understandable that New Zealanders running small businesses in Australia are worried about their future, if they’re not Australian citizens, it’s hard to see why they’re Australia’s problem. I stand to be corrected, but I can’t see that Australians in New Zealand are automatically entitled to the same benefits as citizens, with a few exceptions.
In any case, Australia’s rules are Australia’s rules.
It is unclear if New Zealander sole traders in Australia will have access to small business support provided by the Australian government, but they are currently ineligible for the new increased COVID-19 jobseeker payment.
Ardern does have one good point, though. If nothing else, New Zealanders running businesses in Australia may well be employing Australians.
Ms Ardern said that Australians employed by businesses which have received government assistance may be eligible.
“If they are employed in a firm that has received assistance, my understanding is then they are not excluded from the ability of the business to provide them with support as part of the business and employer packages,” she said.
Australians, like everyone in the Western world, are doing it tough as our economies reel from the impact of COVID-19 and Beijing’s lies. Naturally, Kiwi expats running businesses in Australia are worried and looking for support. If only they didn’t have to rely on a prime minister who kicks Australia for cheap popularity points, but then wants to hold hands when it suits her.
If you enjoyed this BFD article please consider sharing it with your friends.