Australia agrees to discuss criminal deportation policy with New Zealand

ANKARA (AA) - Australia on Friday agreed to discuss its policy on the deportation of criminals after New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reiterated her concerns, local media said.

Ardern is visiting Australia for her first official meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who took office last month.

"There are also concerns that have been raised that need to be taken into consideration, as friends," ABC News quoted the Australian prime minister as saying after meeting with Ardern in Sydney.

New Zealand maintains that Australia deported thousands of New Zealanders with criminal record who were Australian citizens.

"Prime Minister Ardern's concerns are very clear. We'll work them through in an orderly way," Albanese said.

There are 700,000 New Zealanders living in Australia, according to Ardern.

“I’ve asked Prime Minister Albanese to see what changes might be possible, in particular to take greater account of potential deportees’ links to New Zealand. In New Zealand for instance, we do not deport individuals who have lived here for 10 years or more,” Ardern said.

The two premiers also discussed cooperation and engagement in the Pacific region, including climate change and an increasingly contested strategic environment.

On China's growing influence in the Pacific, Albanese declared the two countries were in "lock step" in their approach, according to the report.

"I look forward to working with Prime Minister Ardern, working with our democratic neighbors. We're all a part of the Pacific," he said.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid