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Parliamentary conduct described as "despicable"

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Wed, 11 Nov 2015, 5:17AM

Parliamentary conduct described as "despicable"

Author
Newstalk ZB Staff ,
Publish Date
Wed, 11 Nov 2015, 5:17AM

One of Parliament's longest serving MPs is unimpressed at the way his peers have been behaving.

The House descended in chaos and acrimony yesterday after the prime Minister said the Labour Party was defending rapists and sex offenders with its stance over Kiwi detainees on Christmas Island.

MORE: Govt urged to help Christmas Island detainees

MORE: Australia gets UN grilling on refugees

United Future Leader Peter Dunne describes yesterday's events as one of the more despicable Question Times he's seen in terms of the standards of conduct, pettiness, and stupidness.

He said he'd have preferred it if Mr Key hadn't made the comments as he doesn't think they were helpful.

Mr Dunne said the reaction was therefore predictable and he thinks it wasn't a good look for Parliament

Labour is 'furious' about Key's Question Time accusations, with Labour MP Grant Robertson saying his party's simply asking that more be done for the Kiwis being detained.

"We are saying the Prime Minster needs to show some leadership on that. That is not backing the crimes that people in there have committed by any means."

Several MPs from both Labour and the Green Party complained to the Speaker about the accusations they were supporting rapists, but the Speaker refused to make Key apologise.

Labour's Iain Lees-Galloway was then ejected from the chamber, saying he was "deeply offended by the suggestion that we support rapists."

Thirteen Labour MPs then walked out in protest.

There's also conflicting information about just how dangerous the New Zealanders imprisoned on Christmas Island are.

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox said Key's accusations are rubbish, as she knows of a man currently detained who has no convictions, and was even awarded medals during his army service in Afghanistan.

"He belonged to a gang called the 'Rebels Biker Gang' and now he's been picked up, he's been targeted and put into a detention centre for deportation based on what? Questionable character."

A law change in late 2014 - s501 - gave the Australian Immigration Minister power to cancel the visas of convicted criminals sentenced to more than a year in prison.

Nearly a thousand New Zealand-born people are believed to be affected by the law change. More than 200 New Zealanders are held in seven detention centres around in the country and in offshore centres. It is believed around 40 are held at Christmas Island.

Many do not want to return to New Zealand as they have spent most of their lives in Australia.

A tetraplegic known only as Paul, who had lived in Australia for 36 years, was "dumped" at Auckland Airport two months ago. He had been jailed twice after being caught self-medicating with controlled painkillers.

Angela Russell spent 37 of her 40 years in Australia but is being sent to New Zealand after being convicted of theft.

Twenty-three-year-old Junior Togatuki died while in a detention centre after his pleas not to be deported were rejected. He was 4 when he moved from Auckland to Sydney and told authorities he had "no memory" of New Zealand.

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