Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully is concerned proposed amendments to the law in Australia could be seen as directly targeting New Zealanders.
The Queensland state government is seeking to amend its Anti-Discrimination Act so that its agencies would be allowed to deny support and services to non-permanent residents, without the threat of legal action.
New Zealanders who have moved to Australia since 2001 are classified as temporary residents, regardless of how many years they have lived there.
In a statement, Mr McCully said he had asked his officials to follow up with the Queensland government to clarify the intention of the proposed amendments.
