Bill English says we want a better basis for this type of policy making than what we're getting as part of our long standing, constructive relationship with Australia. Photo / Mark Mitchell
It's a sorry pass when our Government starts making excuses for the clenched fisted Ocker shockers.
It seems the Beehive's big wigs were blind sided again by the Aussies in their latest move against kiwis living in their country. The privileged position New Zealanders once had on the other side
of the ditch is being whittled away.
This time in a major policy shift the Aussies are planning to treat kiwis like foreign students there, meaning they'll pay the full fee for tertiary study when previously they'd been treated like locals with subsidised fees. As a sop the Aussies say that for the first time they can qualify for a student loan, which aren't nearly as generous as they are here.
As usual our Government's reaction is a softly softly approach, banging on about our special relationship and, as an excuse for the latest imposition, they say the Australian economy's not as strong as ours and the moves are budgetary. But at least they're now willing to discuss the wider issue, with Bill English saying we want a better basis for this type of policy making than what we're getting as part of our long standing, constructive relationship with Australia.
And our new Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee, as he prepares for his first trip abroad in his new role, seemed to have a handle on the issue pointing out we have for decades treated each other as fellow citizens which began changing in 2002 and he wants to know what else they might be thinking about. Well, hopefully he'll find that out when he visits Canberra tomorrow.
