Rights of NZ citizens in Australia - the reality makes Australia's human rights record look appalling

"Every State has the primary duty to protect its own population from grave and sustained violations of human rights, as well as from the consequences of humanitarian crises, whether natural or man-made."

This quote was made famous by Pope Benedict XVI.

It seems as if Australia doesn't know what rights are.

Now, some might say the nation must protect its citizens first, but what if, imagine for a moment that the people being denied rights effectively have no voice.  Imagine that for a moment.

Can you imagine living in a country where you have no rights, no voice, nobody listens, nobody cares?  Can you imagine being in a situation where your rights are taken away from you and because you have no voice there is nothing you can do?

Can you imagine that?

Well for the 600,000 New Zealand citizens living in Australia who arrived after 2001 that's the reality.

These people didn't arrive to go on welfare.  They didn't uproot their entire lives just to have things thrown in their face when things got tough.  They didn't pay taxes and set up new lives just to have that taken away if things got tough. 

They moved, like all the other people did in 1788 when the first fleet arrived, for a better life.  They moved for opportunities that their home country, in this case, New Zealand, may not provide.

They moved for a new beginning like all immigrants do.

So what happens when someone moves for a better life and they have no back up?  They have to get on a plane and go back to a place that not only they may not want to go to, but a place that may be bad for them.

Ignoring the plight of these people defies United Nations conventions and it baffles belief that a country can have a population of 600,000, many, hard working, people and turf them out, yet will keep terrorists who are citizens and will keep supporting people who are not truly after a better life and who take Australia for granted.

Why should people be forced to uproot just because of a bad circumstance?  Why does the Australian government think it is acceptable to effectively kick out 600,000 people who have made this country home?  

It's not okay that people who are paying taxes and contributing to society have no rights, but this is the kicker. 

These people can't vote.  It's not like they can say to the Government, "if you don't improve the situation you've lost my vote," because they can't vote.  They don't have a say on issues of national significance.  

And it stinks, it really stinks that a country, a supposedly Western country, can think it's okay to deny 600,000 people, that's 5% of the population basic rights to shelter, food, water, air and democracy. 

But the Australian Government seems to think that treating the 600,000 NZ citizens living in Australia like garbage is okay rather than realising that for many, they don't want to go back to New Zealand, that their life is in Australia.

There are pathways for citizenship, but let's be clear, why would a company pay a sponsorship fee when the person is already working for them?  What do they possibly have to gain?  Why would they hand over their financials and operational information when the person is already working for them?

Wages aren't the best in certain sectors at the moment and rents, especially if you're in Sydney where the jobs are, are extremely expensive, so based on low wages and based on permanent residency costs of $6000, how can NZ citizens living in Australia gain permanent residency and subsequently citizenship?

And with zero employment security and casualisation of the workforce, how can the skilled NZ citizens get sponsorship from their employer when they already work for them?

NZ citizens are part of Australia's population and as Pope Benedict XVI said, a nation has a duty to protect its population.

What's happened to rights in Australia?  Why does the government think it is okay to spit on those who are trying to make this place home?  Why does the Australian government think it's okay to not give NZ citizens temporary protection when times aren't good?