8. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Has she asked the Prime Minister why there were no new justice policies mentioned in the Prime Minister’s statement that “In the next few weeks I will be announcing significant new policies in critical areas such as health, education and housing.”; if not, why not?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Justice) Link to this
No. Unlike National, which has an inner clique that decides policy and feeds its backbench manure only, Labour has a proper policy process that involves all its members of Parliament. I point out to the member that the Prime Minister said “such as” in her statement; it was not restricted to just those three areas.
Why has the Minister of Corrections proposed looking at banning gangs, when the Minister of Justice has told this House three times that she did not believe it was feasible or possible to outlaw them, and when Labour did nothing about gangs for 2 years, then left a bill that increased the penalties for gang members in the drawer for a year after it had been approved by Cabinet, because the then Minister was too busy with the Electoral Finance Act?
The Minister of Police would be silly not to consider looking at legislation in another country if it works, and what the Minister of Corrections has said is that we ought to look to see whether it works. I totally agree with him. But I do not agree with the member’s saying that this Government has done nothing about gangs; we have done a lot about organised crime. The member does not recognise what we have done, because that would not suit his purposes.
Can the Minister confirm that there are no new justice policies because the Government still has not passed laws it announced much earlier, like the criminal proceeds bill promised at the last election, the corrections amendment bill first announced in June last year, and the Legal Services Amendment Bill, which she told the Sensible Sentencing Trust conference would be introduced in May and passed soon after, but has yet to receive its first reading?
I can assure the member that there will be a very strong justice policy from the Labour Party, as there has been in every election. I wonder how many members of the National Party know anything about their justice policy; I am pretty sure that they will not have been told it yet.
Can the Minister confirm that neither the new legislation to govern electronic bail, which the Prime Minister announced in June, nor the amendment to the Domestic Violence Act, which the Minister said would be introduced by July, has yet to appear before the House at all; and in light of the 43 percent increase in violence under her Government, why have improvements to laws dealing with family violence been put on the back-burner?
I can assure the member they have certainly not been put on the back-burner. We undertook a major review of the Domestic Violence Act, we consulted widely, the legislation has recently gone through Cabinet, and it will be in this House in due course. I look forward to the National Party voting for it. You see, it is very easy to sit there, shout, and interject; when National was in Government its record on law and order was abysmal—whether it was organised crime or domestic violence. It really disappoints me that, even today, National does not recognise that family violence is a major issue.
Does “in due course” mean that those bills I have referred to will be in the urgency motion this week?
Can the Minister confirm that the Prime Minister’s announcement at the beginning of the year that Labour would investigate a victims compensation scheme rests on the advice of the Law Commission, which is not due to produce a discussion document until this month; and why has the policy not firmed up in the 14 years since her leader last announced it, in 1994?
The member is not correct in his comments about the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister ensured the passage of the Victims’ Rights Act in 2002. The National Government had 9 years to put in place legislation for victims in New Zealand; there was no legislation from National. Not only did we put in place legislation but this week we announce the victims’ charter, and we also announce an 0800 number so that victims can get information when they need it. We have put money and commitment behind victims; National has only ever talked about that.
Ron MarkWould it be helpful, given that on 14 March 2006 the Government was dismissive of New Zealand First’s calls to pass legislation to outlaw gangs, and given that on 21 November 2007 the Government dismissed New Zealand First’s request that it look at the South Australian Serious and Organised Crime (Control) Act, which had been put through Parliament that day, if New Zealand First tabled for its first reading the Anti Gang and Organised Crime Bill that it has drafted, which blends the strengths of the South Australian Act with the Terrorism Suppression Act here in New Zealand and the US Congress’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act; would it be helpful if we tabled that bill now?
The member has every right to table whatever he likes. I would have no objection to his tabling whatever he wanted. However, we have said that we want to look at the South Australian legislation. The last thing we want to do is to put in place something that does not work, but we have the opportunity, because we work closely with South Australia, to look at how its legislation works, and then to see whether it can be applied to New Zealand.
Madam SPEAKER