Andersen GinnyHon GINNY ANDERSEN (Minister of Justice): Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Well that was a fantastic speech by the Hon Peeni Henare. It's an absolute pleasure to rise today to talk in the last of the general debates we'll have before we rise and head out on to the campaign trail—and what a campaign it will be because there are some very clear choices for New Zealand today. There are some very clear choices in terms of the type of future we want and what we've seen today from National is smoke and mirrors: it's unfunded tax cuts they're trying to tell people what they want but taking away some of the basic rights of workers. That's what we stand for here: fair pay agreements and raising the wages of workers. That's the way you fix peoples' squeezed middle that's the way you deal with it—not by making up smoke and mirrors distractions that try and look like tax cuts but actually when you go through it line by line there's no money there. So let's have a look—let's have a look at what the track record is right now for this Government. Record-low unemployment—post-pandemic record-low unemployment. We have not only Kiwis in work but Kiwis in training with apprenticeships right across New Zealand—60000 young people who are getting opportunities to learn and earn and to take up a career. That's changed lives and that delivers more than what the others are offering. We've seen the biggest growth in housing in generations. In the Hutt Valley alone we stood and watched as houses were torn down by the previous National Government and land was left vacant; people had nowhere to live. In that same land now in Ēpuni we've seen new warm dry homes built: 160 units on that land alone. That school has got two extra classrooms the local community veggie garden grows veggies for the lunches—that is a thriving community that this Government has delivered and that's why we'll keep on fighting.Also what we've done is deliver more police officers with 1800 extra police on the front line and we know that as part of those 1800 extra police there will be 700 specifically dedicated to organised crime because we're smart in the way that we tackle crime in this country. By having those people involved in following the money disabling organised criminal groups and also operations like Cobalt that successfully prosecute gang members and hold them to account—we know that's how we get outcomes in this Government. I know there's more work to be done but let's look at the good stuff that we've done already. The 50 percent increase in terms of funding our police—a 50 percent increase. And the scary thing is when we see those unfunded tax cuts—and then there's sort of this talk about it won't come off the front line" well the justice system works as a whole and if you're going to cut the back office if you're going to cut the courts you're going to cut public servants well that's directly on the front line. So you will see cuts in those front lines if there's big cuts to our public service.And who knows what ACT's going to do? ACT's strapline is "We have no bottom lines." They just say that. They just say "Oh yeah we've got no bottom lines we'll do anything." And National's proposed coalition with ACT means that anything is on the table to be taken away from New Zealanders and they should be fearful of that. Let's have a look at what else we've done in terms of the law and order space. We've introduced new search warrant powers to be able to make sure that when there's intergang conflict police can search vehicles they can seize weapons and they can make sure that that conflict is shut down quickly and that's happened twice since that legislation has been introduced.What else are we doing? Guns—this is an interesting one for those members opposite because they seem to be at odds about guns. So we've introduced a firearms registry and we know that 82 percent of New Zealanders want that because they know it'll make New Zealanders safer by taking illegal guns out of the hands of criminals and gang members. But over here in ACT they're saying they'll scrap it and National's not quite so sure. So who knows what's going to happen with that—that one's up in the air. Even though 82 percent of New Zealanders actually want a firearms registry that's at stake this election as well. We're also setting up new firearm prohibition orders. National talked about that for nine years. They talked a big game; never delivered. Now firearm prohibition orders are in order and able to be utilised. There is so much to talk about in terms of what this Government will continue to do but New Zealanders can rest assured that there won't be smoke and mirrors. There won't be empty hollow promises—or that behind the scenes they're closing police stations they're reducing wages and they're reducing workers' rights. What you get with a Labour Government is people who are able to earn a decent wage; have a warm dry home; have a good doctor and get access to health care: that's what we deliver in this country—not cheap smoke and mirrors tax cuts that are a promise and a good look but underneath there's nothing there."