Aussies back PM’s refugee proposal
The majority of Australians support the resettlement of Manus Island and Nauru refugees in New Zealand.
A Sky News Australia poll, which was carried out last week, found 58 per cent of those surveyed supported the refugees being resettled in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, 19 per cent opposed the move, and 23 per cent were undecided.
The results of the telephone poll of 5000 people follows rising transTasman tensions over the fate of the refugees, who have been living in Papua New Guinea and Nauru after attempts at seeking asylum in Australia.
Australia’s ‘‘turn back the boats’’ policy stops asylum seekers from being resettled in Australia, meaning some have been living in processing centres for years.
In 2013, former prime minister John Key made the offer to resettle up to 150 refugees in New Zealand.
This offer was reconfirmed more than once after Jacinda Ardern became prime minister but Malcolm Turnbull’s government continued to turn down the deal.
Ardern said yesterday the poll results were ‘‘interesting’’.
‘‘But ultimately, it’s still a decision that sits with the Australian Government.’’
Ardern has put pressure on Turnbull’s government to accept the offer since she became prime minister, employing strong rhetoric, saying it was more important to do what was right, than what was popular.
This has led to pushback from the Australian Government, which leaked border information – on more than one occasion – about intercepted boats of asylum seekers that were allegedly headed for New Zealand.
The leaks have been seen as an attempt by Australia to remind New Zealand of the protection it provides in terms of intercepting asylum seekers headed for New Zealand.
Following the leaks, Ardern said this information was not new – there had been multiple reports over the years of boats attempting to make it to New Zealand.
Ardern said yesterday that regardless of Australian public opinion, she continued to reiterate the offer, because she believed New Zealand had a part to play.
Turnbull said part of the reason for rejecting New Zealand’s offer thus far, was to give priority to a United States resettlement deal.