rjay49'Of the 650,000 kiwis living in Australia about 450,000...

rjay49'
Of the 650,000 kiwis living in Australia about 450,000 are permanent residents - and receive full welfare and voting entitlements. The other 200,000 arriving after 2001 are on special category visas and do not enjoy these benefits. But they still get free education and other taxpayer-funded amenities in Australia.

There is currently heaps of pressure coming from NZ to extend permanent residency and all the associated benefits to the 200,000. Abbott says we can't afford it. He's got to go carefully because his wife is a Kiwi!

By your figures there are 21,600 permanent resident NZers currently receiving unemployment benefits here in Australia and another 9600 NZers here unemployed and not receiving benefits. This is considered grossly unfair by the NZ Govt.