Opposition leader Judith Collins says the relationship between New Zealand and Australia at the Government level is probably the “worst” that she has seen in many years.
The rhetoric that goes on — “particularly with telling Australia what to do in their own country — doesn’t go down well, and the Australians are taking a stance which we should possibly just go and mirror”, she told reporters today.
Her comments come as it has been revealed a plane full of criminal deportees from Australia recently landed in New Zealand.
The flight from Brisbane, bound for Auckland, was reportedly full of people who'd committed crimes in Australia.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton referred to the deportations as the country "taking the trash out".
The flight from Brisbane to Auckland was reportedly full of people who’d committed crimes in Australia.
“We should be doing the same back to Australia, for those Australians who we don’t want in this country,” Collins told 1 NEWS today.
She said that although Australia is “our closest friend and ally in the world, it’s also, though, a sovereign country and it does deserve respect".
"But then so do we in New Zealand,” she added. "And New Zealand needs to also say if Australia is going to send us what they refer to as 'our rubbish or our trash', we should be sending them back theirs.
“The best thing to do for the Australians, in my opinion, is to send them back — those who are criminals, who are here… Australian criminals…and give them some of that back.
“We cannot be the dumping ground for everything wrong that’s happened in Australia with people and criminal behaviour. They need to have some of them come back to them,” Collins said.
“We do need to stand up for ourselves and we do need to stand up for Kiwis."
Collins said she does believe there “is a risk” around some of the deportees — “particularly around gangs”.
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