First Impressions By Brendan Horan

We are supposed to be blood brothers with our digger mates across the ditch in Australia but family relations are becoming strained.

Last month the Coles food chain banned Kiwi Mainland cheese and now our cobbers in Queensland are passing a law to allow them to discriminate against Kiwis by blocking access to government aid.

This follows an out-of-court settlement with disabled New Zealander Hannah Campbell, who has cerebral palsy and requires full-time care.

Think about it. They banned our apples, started a potato war and then stole teams of talented sportspeople and the great New Zealand racehorse Phar Lap.

For many years I worked as a surf life saver on beaches at Bronte, Tamarama, Cronulla, North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda. Over those years I helped rescue close to 2000 people.

As I dragged people out of the rips I did not discriminate between Aussie and Kiwi, or those of Lebanese, Chinese, Italian descent and all the other ethnic groups that make up the lucky country. Perhaps I might have saved people who are now banning our cheese or discriminating against New Zealander who might need state-funded assistance.

Now we have a situation where New Zealanders living in Australia paying their taxes, contributing to the economy are going to be discriminated against by the Queensland state parliament.

Some New Zealanders have not been ideal residents – but there are ways to deal with them and they represent a small minority. For too long, a small, noisy mob of bigots have painted a false picture that all Kiwis in Australia are a burden on taxpayers.

We do not believe all Australians share their views. When the chips are down, we fly to the aid of each other. We have shed blood together on a century of battlefields.

The great soapbox orator and maverick Labour MP John A Lee used to jokingly say that whenever he saw an Aussie he could 'see the ghost of bushranger Ned Kelly over his shoulder”.

The ghost of Ned has apparently gone north to Queensland.