SpeechSIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): Thank you very much Madam Speaker. What's quite striking is the very short exceptionally fast calls which the Government side are taking which is striking because after six years of a ram-raid situation which has got out of control and a left-wing Labour Government that has done absolutely nothing—let's underline that; absolutely nothing—here in the last dying days of their Government the last hours are ramming this law through; all puns intended. We're going to support it because like other justice bills it's a step in the right direction but it's a case of a little too little and a little too late.So when I think of my own electorate to do with ram raids we've had I think over 50—five zero—in the last year and I've tried to visit as many of those businesses as I can. So in the likes of Glen Innes we've had our literal gas station ram-raided multiple times. In Glendowie we've had a dairy owner who's so sick of what's been happening he closed up. We had another area in Glendowie where the dairy and takeaway store were ram-raided with such ingenuity that those involved built a ramp to get over the concrete ramparts. In St Heliers where my family and I live various stores including the liquor store have been hit with tens of thousands of dollars of damage. Only a few months ago in Kohimārama three of our stores in Melanesia Road again ram-raided smashed into—very little taken but again tens of thousands of dollars of damage done. In Mission Bay one of the dairies: six times—six times—has been ram-raided. And just up the road a liquor store run by an amazing young woman who lives in fear for what is to happen. In Ōrākei one of our dairies there: four times they've been hit. They've sold up and retired. The liquor store was also hit and if you drive into Ōrākei you'll find that the plywood is still up. Stonefields: multiple times the little shops there have been hit. Meadowbank: only a couple of weeks ago three stores on Dorchester Street all ram-raided and broken into. Let alone—do I mention—the wonderful people of St Johns where their butcher their fruiterer and their cafe were also broken into with one of those owners now sleeping on the floor to protect themselves.Why? Because ram raids are out of control and the Labour Government has had absolutely no answer—no answer. To give a little bit of credit they have put together a fund and actually I've been grateful for that in terms of bollards and fog cannons and the like. I've actually spent a lot of time with these business owners making sure they can access that and look bouquets where required. That's a good step but that's the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff and it's a failure—a failure to address some of the most fundamental causes including I might add poverty and all those issues. This is a left-wing Labour Government that's supposed to have cared for people but we're seeing those on welfare child poverty targets all of that get out of control and these are some of the consequences.The other aspect too is that there are not enough consequences and anyone who knows me knows that consequences always have two aspects or two faces. One is if you will the direct consequence—there is a punishment a consequence. I am repeating the words there but there is a punishment for want of a better term but there are also consequences of helping when these young people are involved in crimes. What are we doing to assist people? The answer unfortunately again under this Government is not much which is why these young ones in particular are continuing their crimes. Look there's a multiplicity of reasons there's a multiplicity of factors but they are not being addressed. Yes this bill will do something; it's not bad but it's hardly the great step forward.But the little caveat I might put at the end and it's a challenge to all of us in this House and it still upsets me for reasons I don't fully understand but it's the story of that seven-year-old who was involved in a ram raid in Hamilton stealing a plushie toy. I just find that immensely sad. I want to make it really clear to the House: this is not an excuse by any means to criminalise someone like that but I think it's a challenge to me. It's a challenge to all of us regardless of our political stripes of how we actually address this problem when we have seven-year-old kids involved with ram raids stealing plushie toys. I think it's just utterly utterly tragic. So we will support this bill but we have a great challenge ahead of us.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Debbie Ngarewa-Packer—five minutes.