Shaw James: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeShaw James: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7107. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Prime Minister: Will he be formally raising the issue of New Zealanders detained in Australia when he meets with Malcolm Turnbull later on this week?Rt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):Yes.James Shaw: When he meets with Malcolm Turnbull will he be requesting that Australia bring back to the mainland those New Zealanders being detained in offshore detention centres?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Yes I will be raising the issue of New Zealanders being sent to detention centres—in particular the offshore processing centre on Christmas Island.James Shaw: At the meeting will the Prime Minister be requesting that Australia increase the imprisonment threshold for deportation of New Zealanders?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Obviously we will have a wide-ranging discussion but what is causing the problems are the changes that were made by the Australian Parliament late last year—effectivelyto lower the mandatory cancellation of visas- threshold—and on that basis yes we will be discussing that issue.James Shaw: At this meeting will the Prime Minister be requesting that Australia do a case bycase analysis for New Zealanders on humanitarian grounds prior to deportation?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I cannot be sure that that will be one particular issue that will be raised.James Shaw: Given that he is now criticising the use of offshore detention centres for New Zealanders why did he negotiate a deal with Australia that would have seen the use of these very centres for refugees seeking asylum in New Zealand?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No one really likes to see detention centres full-stop. But the main purpose was of course to try to take those people out of the refugee detention centres. That is why we agreed to take 150.James Shaw: Is he aware of the information that another 40 to 50 New Zealanders are due to be shipped to Christmas Island in the next fortnight; if so will he be asking Malcolm Turnbull to stop this?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No I do not have those specifics.James Shaw: Given that he knew about the plight of New Zealanders being detained in Australia why did he not raise the issue with Tony Abbott at their last meeting in Papua New Guinea and why was the memorandum of understanding progressed only following a massive public outcry?Rt Hon JOHN KEY: That is not true actually. In fact I first raised the issue with Tony Abbott during the bilateral talks that I held with him in February of this year andagain when we met in Wellington in April. I raised the issue also with the Australian Foreign Minister in New York.The New Zealand Foreign Minister has raised the issue on numerous occasions and officials have raised it—so this issue has been raised for some time. In the end the rules that the Australian Government sets are the rules that the Australian Government sets. I cannot necessarily demand a change any more than Helen Clark could when she agreed back in 2001 to allow a position whereby New Zealanders would in certain circumstances have fewer rights than others in Australia. That was the situation that Helen Clark accepted.