Three year on from the whole boat people thing, NZ today granted full citizenship to 76 of the refugees from the Tampa, while australia still has people locked up in detention.
“We came to the conclusion that people couldn’t sit on the deck of a boat in the Indian Ocean forever,” Ms Clark said of her decision to take the refugees in 2001.
“Something that began as a tragedy has ended up with us accepting many new Kiwis that are going to contribute all their talents and their energy and their culture and their ideas to our country.”
I wonder why australia’s politicians are still so reticent to also accept some new aussies, and benefit from their diversity and vitality?