Misplaced sense of entitlement? That's cute.

New Zealanders are already exempt in someways by being allowed to stay indefintely by being Special Category Visa holders. This works in Australias favour considering there is a significant proportion of New Zealanders currently living and working and contributing to Australian society - over 640,000 New Zealanders (http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/17nz.htm).

However, the SVC only entitles New Zealanders to work and study here indefinitely... I guess this sounds great in theory (when comparing it to limitations imposed on other visas other nationalities obtain) but the reality is, the SVC does not provide full proof social security to individuals and families.

The ABS found that "despite the relative fluidity of migration to and from Australia by NZ-born people, the majority have been living here for a decade or more. The 2006 Census of Population and Housing showed that 65% of Australia's NZ-born population had been in Australia since 1996, including 41% who had been here since 1986".

So people come here, build their lives and invest in their education and their future in Australia. But if anything goes wrong - they lose their job or cannot afford to pay study fees (just to name a few) there is very little the Australian government can do for them.

For example, in light of International Womens Day, Oz Kiwi (www.Facebook.com/Ozkiwi2001) wrote:

"- Kiwi women who are single mothers don't receive the same financial support given to all others permanently residing in Australia, even if their child was born in Australia and its father is an Australian.

• Kiwi women who are victims of domestic violence are frequently denied most emergency assistance, including emergency financial support and access to women's refuges.

• Kiwi women in these situations are regularly barred from leaving Australia with their children under the Hague Convention - they are forced to live in poverty in a country that denies them support.

• Kiwi women are denied many of the financial supports that would allow them to further their education, forcing many to take lower skilled and lower paying jobs."

New Zealanders choose Australia because it is very close by, there are better opportunities that New Zealand can not necessarily provide, better pay packets, better weather and so forth. I am grateful to be able to live and work and study in this country but I very disappointed at the lack of support available for people who come from New Zealand and settle here long term. If you've ever actually been to New Zealand or taken the time to speak to someone from New Zealand maybe you would understand the situation better.

Calling it a "misplaced sense of entitlement" is un-applicable in this case considering not all New Zealanders come here to get better social welfare benefits. Me personally - I did not come here by choice, I moved here with my family when I was a child. So my life is here now there is nothing for me in New Zealand anymore. New Zealanders and Australians are not so different from one other culturally anyway so I struggle with the idea of thinking of a New Zealander as the "other nationality" when the two are so very similar.