In 1986 the Hawke Labor Government brought in the rule whereby New Zealanders had to wait six months after arrival to qualify for social security benefits.

Those New Zealanders can stay in Australia indefinitely but without any civic rights (they cannot vote in any Government elections) or route to citizenship.

More than 175,000 people – or 47 per cent of the New Zealanders living in Australia – are thought to be affected by the law, which has been labelled "discriminatory" by campaigners.

[8] In 2011, a series of anti-discrimination lawsuits overturned decisions to deny New Zealand citizens social security benefits under 2001 Howard government laws that restricted access to permanent residency.

While Australian officials have defended the tougher deportation measures, their New Zealand counterparts have warned that these would damage the historical "bonds of mateship" between the two countries.

Under this visa, New Zealanders who have lived in Australia for at least five years and earning an annual income over A$53,900 can apply for Australian citizenship.

[18][19] This visa scheme was criticized by the "Ozkiwi lobby" since two thirds of New Zealanders living in Australia did not meet the qualifying wage.

The documentary featured the Justice Minister of New Zealand, Andrew Little, who criticized the high deportation rate on human rights grounds.

[16] The ABC documentary and Little's remarks provoked criticism from several Australian officials, including Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Assistant Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke, who defended Australia's immigration policies on law and order grounds.

[21] Many New Zealanders living, studying and working in Australia under the Special Category Visa were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; with many being unable to access Centrelink payments.

NZ Prime Minister Ardern welcomed the development as a positive welfare step in Australian-New Zealand bilateral relations.

[23] On 8 July 2022, Albanese confirmed plans to expand voting rights and citizenship pathways for New Zealand citizens residing in Australia.

In addition, he also indicated that the Albanese government would "tweak" the Section 501 deportation policy to consider individuals' long-term connection to Australia.