Covid 19 coronavirus: Heartbroken New Zealander forced to flee Australia

Robyn Munro, broke, jobless and heartbroken, says boarding a plane to New Zealand after calling the Gold Coast home for 14 years made her feel “absolutely worthless.”

“It’s incredibly heartbreaking,” the 61-year-old said through tears from Christchurch.

“I have worked in Australia and paid taxes for almost 15 years and my life, my friends and everything I have was there.”

Munro is one of 107,570 New Zealand citizens who have fled Australia since March this year, according to provisional data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on international travel.

It is estimated that most of the Kiwis who left had to leave their homes, children and friends because they are not entitled to financial support from the Australian government.

Most of the departures occurred in March, with 87,620 departures during the height of the global pandemic.

But in the past three months, 11,330 New Zealand citizens had returned to their homeland, indicating the fact that Kiwis, some of whom have paid taxes in Australia for nearly 20 years, are struggling to put food on their table, get a job or pay your rent.

Munro, who works in elderly care, had been looking for work since his job ended in September last year. During this time, you were not entitled to receive payments from Centrelink.

When Covid arrived, he was eligible for JobSeeker for six months because, despite being a New Zealand citizen, he has lived in Australia for more than 10 years.

However, once the pay stopped and she had to compete to work with Gold Coasters, most of whom were 40 years younger than her, Munro said life was bleak.

“Over the years I have volunteered in the Tweed area, cooking meals for the homeless, and I was at that point where I was almost homeless,” she said.

“If I hadn’t left, I would have been in a position where I would be sleeping in a car, not having the money to be able to run the car.”

Munro, formerly of Parkwood, left Australia in early October and is now trying to rebuild his life despite not having a home or his belongings.

“Over the years I’ve done a lot of things, including driving a truck, because when you’re a single mother of five you do everything you can to put bread and butter on the table.”

Munro said the lack of support from the Australian government made her feel “absolutely worthless” and that she hoped her story would resonate with others.

“Many Australians are unaware that we are not entitled to anything and are dismayed, and many are trying to do what they can to help us because their leaders will not.

“Governments are quick to mention the spirit of Anzac in the blink of an eye, but from where I stand it seems like it doesn’t exist.”

Nerang Neighborhood Center Coordinator Vicky Rose has joined the Australian Labor Party to fight for a direct path to citizenship for Kiwis.

Most of the nearly 300,000 New Zealanders who immigrated to Australia after February 26, 2001, are not eligible for social security benefits, despite paying taxes.

This is due to the limited visa flows and strict criteria that Australia offers New Zealanders, with a visa requiring annual earnings of at least A $ 53,900 (approximately $ 1,036 per week) each year for four consecutive years (exemptions may apply ).

Currently, the minimum wage in Australia is around AU $ 39,197 or AU $ 753.80 per week.

Rose said that despite the willingness of the majority of Kiwis to become a permanent resident and / or Australian citizen, a large portion will never qualify.

The income tax on kiwis in Australia was approximately A $ 5 billion in 2015 alone. Other internationals living and working in Australia on permanent visas are eligible for support in times of crisis.

Australians are not excluded from Social Security support in New Zealand and can access benefits after two years of living in New Zealand without any visa application or paperwork.

– Gold Coast Newsletter