KIWI criminals convicted of manslaughter, rape, kidnapping and robbery in their home country have slipped into Australia and carried out a shocking crime spree.
Border checks are so loose that New Zealand offenders who served lengthy jail sentences are merely ticking a box claiming they have no criminal history, the Sunday Mail reports.
A computer system at the border has failed to detect violent repeat offenders who went on to commit further serious crimes in Australia. One Kiwi roofer was jailed for 11 years in NZ but was waved into Australia and spent his first four months working at the prime minister’s Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.
Jonathon Rountree admitted he simply lied on his passenger arrival card and went on to amass a lengthy Australian record for drug dealing, trafficking and assault.
Another Kiwi entered Australia despite being jailed for nine years in NZ for manslaughter and rape after a violent sexual assault that led to a woman’s death and the injury of a child.
The offender, who cannot be named, lied about his criminal history on his arrival card and was later the subject of five domestic violence orders in Queensland.
In another instance, Kiwi Gregory James Stone cleared immigration despite having 42 NZ convictions involving drugs, fraud and theft and was later jailed in Australia for bodily harm.
He won an appeal in February last year, allowing him to stay in Australia, mainly because of his three sons here.
The cases are detailed in Administrative Appeals Tribunal decisions and court cases from the past five years that have been analysed by The Sunday Mail.
They are the tip of the iceberg because the tribunal only looks at cases where people appeal against their visa cancellations.
Kiwis can cross the Tasman on a Special Category Visa which involves a rubber stamp on arrival under an arrangement to allow freer travel between Australia and NZ.
Anyone sentenced to a year or more in prison is not eligible for the visa, while immigration can also refuse entry to anyone who fails a character test.
A global Movement Alert List computer database containing about 630,000 names is supposed to flag people who may be a risk because of criminal records, health concerns or other issues.
Of the 1.36 million Kiwis who came to Australia last year, only 175 were turned around at the border for failing the character test, which was up more than 50 per cent from 2009-10 (115 turnarounds).
In the three years to the end of last year, more than 220 NZ citizens who had been allowed into Australia had their visas cancelled for failing the character test. Three Australians were deported from New Zealand last year, all after being jailed, and only 12 Australians were turned away.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen yesterday said the Government was working with NZ to improve sharing of criminal records.
Mr Bowen used his special powers to remove four NZ citizens last year after they had won appeals against deportation decisions.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said safeguards were “not to the standard they need to be”.
“Australians are rightly appalled when people who come here from any country and are granted that privilege only to abuse it,” Mr Morrison said.
High-level talks between Australian and NZ police and immigration officials were held in Wellington in late 2008 amid concerns about criminals failing to declare convictions on entry.
Discussions at the time about exchanging criminal history data went nowhere, immigration officials admitted to The Sunday Mail.
The issue has been reignited after convicted Kiwi fraudster Joel Morehu-Barlow allegedly embezzled more than $16 million from Queensland Health.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the visa exchange program needed to be tightened.
“If any foreign national commits a crime that has a term of imprisonment, they should be immediately deported upon their release from prison,” he said
Article source: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/kiwi-criminals-slipping-through-the-cracks/story-e6freonf-1226250493396?from=public_rss
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