3. Dr PITA SHARPLES (Co-Leader—Maori Party) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
He aha te mahere rautaki a ngā Tari Ture hai whakaheke haere i te waihangatanga, te tohatoha, me te ngote, mō te ngārara nei te methamphetamine, arā, P; ka mutu ka whaaro ake te Kāwanatanga ki te whakarite i tētahi roopu whānui ā-Pāremata ki te whakakore i te P?
[What is the justice sector strategy to reduce methamphetamine manufacture, distribution and use, and would the Government support a cross-parliamentary party approach to stamp out P?]
Hon MARK BURTON (Minister of Justice) Link to this
The justice sector approach to methamphetamine is part of the broader Government response, led by the Hon Jim Anderton under the National Drug Policy, to combat drugs involving law enforcement, customs, health, and education agencies. Within the justice sector, through the Methamphetamine Action Plan, the Government has undertaken a range of actions to combat P. Those include changes to the Misuse of Drugs Act, including reclassifying P as a class A drug, which of course means that the penalty for trafficking in P now carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and improved resourcing of police and Customs Service drug enforcement services to respond to the current and future methamphetamine situation. Of course, the Government welcomes the further support of any party that is willing to engage constructively on this issue.
Kua whakaaro anō te Minita mō ngā mahi i te taha hauāuru o Ahitereiria, arā, ngā mahi muru taonga, arā, te whare, te pūtea pēke, te motokā hoki, mō ērā ka mauherehia mō ō rātou mahi waihanga, tohatoha hoki i te P?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Has the Minister considered the Western Australian experience in which those convicted of manufacturing and distributing P forfeit all assets, including house, bank accounts, and car—a strategy that has proven successful in restricting the incidence of production?]
There has indeed already been significant movement in legislation, which certainly allows the confiscation of the property of those who are involved in the trafficking of the drug. But I know that the Government would welcome further engagement with the member, who clearly has a serious interest in this important issue.
Simon PowerDoes the Minister believe that the victims of the crimes of Trevor Eagle, Steven Williams, and William Duane Bell, and the victims’ families, agree that the Government is dealing with the methamphetamine epidemic; and is releasing individuals who are charged with the importation of raw materials to manufacture $15 million worth of P the Government’s idea of dealing with the problem?
I clearly cannot speak for those families. Although the Government has taken a range of actions—and quite decisive actions—there is much more to do. But it is not something that any Government alone can deal with; it is a wide community issue. I want to applaud the people who came to Parliament today—I think every member would—because those people have taken some personal responsibility to try to highlight this blight on our society. I applaud them for their action and will engage with any members in the House who want to look at further effective actions that we can take together.
Russell Fairbrother Link to this
Can the Minister give some examples of initiatives under way or completed under the Methamphetamine Action Plan?
There are many examples. For the Customs Service new offences and powers have strengthened its ability to investigate the importation of chemicals used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The Ministry of Health has established, and is maintaining, community action programmes and has increased funding for treatment. The police have established a comprehensive illicit drug monitoring system and are piloting a programme of drug-testing people detained in police cells. There is a range of others. Obviously, I cannot go on, because of the Standing Orders, but there are many such programmes. But, as I said before, there is much more to do.
Judy TurnerDoes the Minister consider that one of the unhelpful trends of managing drug abuse is that there is poor cooperation between the many Government departments and agencies—health, justice, police, and education—and can he assure us that the funding of community projects is not being undermined by the fragmentation and turf wars of those agencies?
I think the member raises an important question as to the importance of inter-agency cooperation, and that, indeed, is certainly one of the principle reasons why the Hon Jim Anderton is leading a cross-Government approach under the National Drug Policy. One of its objectives is to ensure that we get the maximum cooperation and effectiveness from agencies.
Will the Minister consider a change in law to introduce a specialist drug court to allow treatment options to be incorporated into sentencing, combined with the use of further sanctions for continued abuse of drugs or other reoffending, as proposed by United Future’s policy on drugs and the law?
It is a matter that, along with many of the suggestions that have been usefully made, I think is worthy of consideration. I am happy to discuss the matter further with the member.
Kei te mōhio kei te mārama rānei te Minita ki ngā mahi kua kōkirihia i roto i te iwi Māori arā, te rāhui P ki Ōrākei i Tāmaki-makau-rau, me te rāhui P i Maunganui i Tauranga, me te kaupapa “P kore” kua whakatūria i te hapori o Murupara, ā, ka tautokongia e te Tari Ture i ngā ūmanga pai kua tīmatahia e te iwi Māori, arā, te pakanga i te P, kāhore rānei?
[An interpretation in English was given to the House.]
[Is the Minister aware of the initiatives amongst the Māori people such as the rāhui to ban P at Ōrākei in Auckland; the rāhui to ban P in Maunganui in Tauranga; and the “P kore” strategy in Murupara; and how will the justice sector support the ongoing leadership of Māori communities to stamp out P?]
I certainly have some awareness of some of the initiatives the member has referred to, and I applaud them. Again I welcome any approach from him to look at how we can give further support to those sorts of positive community initiatives.
Ron MarkWould the Minister agree with New Zealand First that three areas need to be targeted more stridently: firstly, intervention at the borders to prevent foreigners from importing methamphetamine precursors into this country; secondly, the crushing of gangs who manufacture and supply P, many of them Māori; and, thirdly, stricter sentencing laws to stop judges from giving 22-month jail sentences with leave to apply for home detention for supplying the drug.