Bridges Simon: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Bridges Simon: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 22 June 2010. Volume:664;Page:12067. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 If we are upfront as members as I am sure we all are we can accept that all political parties from time to time are somewhat simplistic and reductive in the way they deal with crime from really all manner of viewpoints and persuasions. We can sometimes take the view that all prisoners are bad and all serious punishment is good. Members on the other side can sometimes say that any more punishment is bad and that we should not be doing anything. I think we have to guard against that. The sad reality is that no party in this House and no set of laws—even the best set of laws—will see a New Zealand without victims and without crime. There will always be serious harm caused to victims and suffering for years and years to come whatever the Government response. That is the reality of crime and it goes back effectively to Adam and Eve. 
I have to say that I think nevertheless this is a very good bill. We are doing a strong thing and I will come to that later. I will also say with reference to thoughtful speeches by David Clendon and the Hon Tariana Turia that I accept that prisoners can be victims and I accept that certainly in serious abusive cases there is a need for the vindication of their rights sometimes with significant compensation. But I also say that it is my understanding of this bill—which was introduced by Labour and is now supported by the Government which wants to extend it—that it does not take away prisoners’ human rights. If I can put it crassly—at a basic moral level I think this is right—the legislation creates a debt collection mechanism for victims who have been knowingly wronged often grievously so by offenders who were later imprisoned to receive compensation from their offenders. The bill in no way shape or from states that prisoners should not have their rights vindicated nor receive compensation. But where victims of their crimes have been put to cost and they have not received what is their due from prisoners the original 2005 Act the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act goes some way at least to righting that wrong. 
Effectively what we are doing tonight is extending the expiry date in the Act out to 2012. We are allowing the restrictions on the circumstances in which courts can award compensation to prisoners to continue and we are providing a simplified process for victims of prisoners to make claims against prisoners’ compensation before the prisoners fritter it away to put it frankly. I am pleased to say that we are going further than that with another bill later this year. 
I do not think that the members in this House can do everything required to right all wrongs to ensure that there are no victims or to ensure that victims never suffer but I think that through this bill and quite a number of other bills that Parliament has passed this term we are certainly going a good way towards getting better justice for victims in this country.