Little Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeLittle Andrew: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 11 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:7878. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]2.ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his statements regarding New Zealand - born Australian detainees in Australia?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister): That was not actually the question.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Listen I think it was close enough and frankly that is a matter for me to attend to. I would prefer the Prime Minister to answer it.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes.Andrew Little: Does he stand by his statements on Radio New Zealand this morning that he has not been told how many New Zealand - born Australian detainees on Christmas Island have convictions for rape or murder?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes at the time that I made that statement. What I can say is that Minister Amy Adams’ office was today actually presented by the Australian Government with a very detailed list of the sorts of offences committed by New Zealanders who are on Christmas Island. It is unlikely for privacy reasons that she will be able to release that but I can give you a flavour of the types of people. [Interruption] I can give the House a flavour of the types of people—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I ask the Prime Minister to resume his seat. I would have thought that there was interest in this answer but it is not going to be heard if the level of interjection continues from my immediate left.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I can give the House a flavour. Some of them are offences that I do not think even the House would want me to read out but others include for instance indecent treatment or dealings with a child under 16; the murder of an individual or manslaughter of an individual; armed robbery and robbery with actual violence; aggravated assault with weapons against their own child; assaulting a police officer; common assault and family violence; drug supply and possession; grievous bodily harm and weapon possession; and stalking. That sits on the back of the information we have from Australia that as of 31 May 2015 585 New Zealanders are pending visa cancellation. Of those 50 are involved in rape sex offences or child sex offences.Andrew Little: Given that of the 199 detainees on Christmas Island roughly 130 have convictions for offences such as prison for cannabis supply and a fifth conviction for shoplifting—in this case worth $1300—and that the vast majority are of sentences at the low end of the scale how does he justify his disgraceful statements in the House yesterday?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because they have the advantage of being true. I do not know where the member gets his information but we have the information by name by offence—I can read them out again if the member wants. But let me quote from the Minister of immigration in Australia who gave an interview to the Australian media yesterday and said about the detainees on Christmas Island: “It is a hardened criminal population that occupies the immigration detention centre on Christmas Island. They are people whose risk profile is based not just on conviction but on their activity within detention or within the community as well. It may be that they’ve threatened officers or they’ve carried out acts against other detainees. There are a number of reasons why they’re there. The vast majority of people within the Christmas Island Detention Centre are serious criminals.”Andrew Little: Given that most of the detainees are people who have lived virtually all their lives in Australia why should New Zealand shoulder responsibility for these people? [Interruption] Why doesn’t he stand up for what is right pick up the phone and talk to Malcolm Turnbull?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Because we have a legal obligation to take them back to New Zealand but let us just understand this one point: if you were a New Zealander who went to Australia prior to 2001 as a resident you had a pathway to citizenship which would mean that if you gained that citizenship you could not be deported to New Zealand.One Government and one person stopped that. It is called the Labour Government and Helen Clark—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Andrew Little: Does he accept that for the majority of New Zealand - born detainees whose offending is at the lower end of the scale their best chance of rehabilitation is to stay close to their families and the community they know which is in Australia?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly from the information that I have the 585 New Zealanders as of 31 May 2015—Dr David Clark: Answer the question.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well just allow me to and I am happy to do it for you mate. OK. So of the 585 as of 31 May 2015 here are the sorts of characterisations: murder 22; child sex offenders 34; rape 16—Andrew Little: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I did not ask for the statistics which are being massaged by the Prime Minister. I asked him: does he accept that for people in the circumstances I described it is better for them to stay in Australia than come here?Mr SPEAKER: As I—[Interruption] No. I do not need assistance.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Speaking to the point of order.Mr SPEAKER: No. I do not need assistance from the Prime Minister. As I recall the question it was: accepting that the majority are there on relatively minor convictions does he not accept the best chance of rehabilitation is by remaining in Australia? The Prime Minister is rebutting part of that by saying that he does not feel that many of them are there on minor convictions. That—Andrew Little: He’s not giving us the proportion—misleading.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. Listen. My job here is to adjudicate as to whether the question has been addressed. On that occasion the question has been addressed—I accept not to the satisfaction of the member. The way forward then is further supplementary questions. Andrew—Rt Hon John Key: Mr Speaker I just want to carry on my answer.Mr SPEAKER: No well I have heard enough. [Interruption] No. Order!The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The answer has been given.Andrew Little: Why did his Government take no action in December 2014 when he was first told Australia was going to deport hundreds of New Zealand - born Australians for committing lower-level crimes such as shoplifting and driving offences?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The Minister of Justice informs me the direction was signed on 22 December at the first available meeting I had with the Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott. We did that in the bilateral in February. We have continued to have those discussions the whole way through. The Ministers of Justice and Immigration have talked the way through. We have been working through the memorandum of understanding. When the Opposition says the Government has done nothing let us get a few facts right. We have got an assurance from the Australian Government that deportees can be sent to New Zealand and have their assessment done for their appeal in New Zealand. We have doubled the resources there. We have added the extra resources there. We have made sure there is a memorandum of understanding. We have made a significant number of representations. Actually the Leader of the Opposition met—Mr SPEAKER: Order! No the answer is now going on too long.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Prime Minister tell us what his response is to former National Government Minister Hugh Templeton’s call for him to display some leadership and statesmanship on this matter?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: The member will appreciate Hugh Templeton goes a long way back in the New Zealand Parliament and I was not here then so maybe he would like to remind me of the context of it all.Andrew Little: Why has he said that New Zealand - born Australians detained in Australia at the completion of their sentences are free to return at any time but now says that he has not even got the legislation ready to manage their return and it can take up to 20 weeks for them to get here anyway?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Firstly I have never said it could take up to 20 weeks. The member has said that and it is not correct. Mr Dutton confirmed once again last night—yesterday—that they can come within 2 weeks if they are at the absolute worst end of things. The legislation is going to be ready in the House next week. I hope the members vote for it.