Transcript
Denise Roche: We've got a different prime minister now so we should be calling on that prime minister to show leadership and work alongside Australia, both Australia and Papua New Guinea, to enable us to take asylum seekers from Manus. Manus does have to close down. The breaches of human rights there are appalling and atrocious. And New Zealand can play its part in taking some of those asylum seekers.
Ben Robinson Drawbridge: So you're saying that New Zealand has actually got some responsibility in this scenario?
DR: Well, we have Pacific responsibilities. These asylum seekers have ended up in our neck of the woods. we have in the past taken asylum seekers in similar circumstances and I'm thinking of those who arrived in New Zealand coming via Australia from the Tampa, who were rescued from that ship. So we have a record of being able to do that, to step up and I think this is our opportunity to do that again.
BRD: But we know from past experience that Australia is not keen for New Zealand to settle any of these asylum seekers, so how can we get around that?
DR: Well we could be working alongside Papua New Guinea as well given that Australia is looking for an out. So we could be working alongside Papua New Guinea and asking them to send the asylum seekers to us from there.
BRD: You think that any asylum seekers taken from there should be beyond our annual refugee quota?
DR: If they're coming as asylum seekers their status has to be looked into. So that makes them separate from the refugee quota. We've only just managed to get the quota increased from 850 to 1000 and there is capacity for more. However these people from Manus should be treated quite separately and not part of that quota.
BRD: So you're saying we should bring them here and vet them here, or go over there and vet them?
DR: We could be doing it here but we could be doing it both places really ... I think in the past New Zealand has offered to take 150. My understanding is there are about 800 people on Manus who need to be shifted out and Papua New Guinea has said it's a breach of international human rights to detain them. So we could be taking as many as we possibly can ... Our foreign affairs officials should be working alongside Papua New Guinea as well as Australia to try and convince them that we can take them ... I know that Australia has had some hesitancy about New Zealand taking them because of what they call - them being able to get to Australia from New Zealand once they've got permanent residency. But actually that's not an issue that Australia should be concerning themselves with 'cause that's our immigration policy settings not theirs.
BRD: This could be the stumbling block then, couldn't it?
DR: Yes, and I think that's where we need to be trying to negotiate with Australia particularly to ease back.
BRD: So, we can't just bypass Australia?
DR: No we can't bypass Australia. Australia is responsible for illegally detaining these asylum seekers for the last four years so they have a part to play. And so we need to be convincing Australia that we can take people from Manus and offer them refuge.
BRD: If the Greens were to form part of the next government, this is something you'd be pushing as part of any coalition deal?
DR: Um, I can't say that. That's something that the parties would be negotiating.
