Dalziel denies NZ easy for smugglers

By FRANCESCA MOLD

The Government has rejected suggestions that New Zealand could become a new target for people-smugglers because it has a lenient attitude towards asylum-seekers.

Australian Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said he had been told that "a lot" of smugglers were now talking about heading to New Zealand rather than Australia, which had taken a tough stance against illegal immigrants.

Mr Ruddock said he was not criticising New Zealand for being "too lenient". He said it could afford to be, because of its geographic position and the tough stance of Australia.

New Zealand Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel said there was no greater risk of people-smugglers targeting New Zealand and she believed Mr Ruddock's comments had been blown out of proportion.

Ms Dalziel said there had been no increase in the number of people using false documents to enter the country.



New Zealand's distance from the usual staging posts for people-smugglers was a natural deterrent and the Government was strengthening legislation with tough new penalties for captains and crew of migrant smuggling vessels, she said.

Ms Dalziel wants to make people-smuggling illegal under the Crimes Act, with longer prison sentences than the three months provided under the Immigration Act.

She said people considering paying someone to smuggle them into New Zealand should also realise that only a small number of asylum seekers gained refugee status.

In the 2000-01 year, only 311 of the 1703 applicants were approved.

Mr Ruddock told the Australian newspaper that smugglers had noted that most of the 131 boat people taken in by New Zealand after they were plucked from a sinking vessel by the Norwegian container ship Tampa had been given refugee status.

The New Zealand Government was asked to take the asylum-seekers after Australian Prime Minister John Howard refused to allow them to land in his country.

Ms Dalziel said most of the Tampa people processed in New Zealand had been found to be genuine refugees and were being resettled here.

She pointed out that Mr Ruddock had thanked New Zealand for its willingness to help over the Tampa.

Mr Ruddock's comments yesterday came as two international human rights groups slammed Australia's attitude towards asylum seekers.

Human Rights Watch accused the federal Government of "fuelling xenophobic fears" with inflammatory accounts of floods of refugees making their way to Australia.

It cited statements by Mr Ruddock that mandatory detention policies would protect Australians against diseases brought in by illegal immigrants and that whole villages of Iraqis planned to head for Australia.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also accused Australia of having a "draconian" policy of blocking asylum seekers travelling by boat which just forced the problem "further upstream".

National Party leader Bill English said the Government should take the Australian warning seriously. "It stands to reason that if Australia refused to take any [asylum seekers] and we agreed to take some, then we look like a softer target than them."