12. KATE WILKINSON (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Courts
Does he have confidence that the court system is delivering effective access to justice?
Hon RICK BARKERHow can he claim that the court system has been “steadily improving” under Labour when the median waiting-time for criminal jury trials in the High Court has increased by 62 percent since 2003; it has gone up from 6 months to 10 months, and is doubling in Auckland, and tripling in centres like Blenheim?
The court does not have any control over the number of applications that are filed with a court; the court simply deals with them. What this Government has done has been to invest heavily in courts. We have invested another $156 million into justice. We have appointed more judges and more staff, and we have put in place more information technology systems and built more buildings. We have invested heavily into the system, and the rates of disposal in our courthouses have gone up dramatically.
How can the Minister claim that the court system has been steadily improving under Labour, when the number of outstanding High Court criminal jury cases has increased by 79 percent since 2002, including a doubling of the number of cases in Auckland, Dunedin, Hamilton, Rotorua, Wellington, and Whangarei?
The High Court disposal rate has increased by 9.4 percent. The High Court has increased its rates of disposal, but what the court does not have control over is the rate of filing of applications. I think it is a sign of how effective this Government has been in cracking down on crime, arresting criminals, and bringing them before the courts.
Does he stand by this statement that he made at a select committee: “Predictions are always difficult, particularly when they are about the future.”, or is he more confident when making predictions about the past?
The point I would make about that Opposition party is that it cannot make predictions. It has no policy. If we want to look at the National Party’s website today to see what its justice policy is, what do we get? We get this statement: “Give us your views on justice.” The National Party is all about whinge, grizzle, and moan, and it is absolutely bereft of any ideas, whatsoever. All it does is oppose. When the Government puts forward good legislation like the Criminal Justice Reform Bill, National opposes and opposes. It has no ideas.