Macindoe Tim: Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMacindoe Tim: Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 25 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13759. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): So does my mother when I am in trouble. May I begin as other speakers have done by congratulatingLe’aufa’amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor on having her member’s bill the Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill drawn and brought to the House. It is an exciting time.I have to say to Mrs Lole-Taylor that I am a little bit jealous as I have been here longer than she has and I too have a bill in the members’ ballot that has never looked like being drawn. If it is it will make a significant difference I think to dealing with an aspect of criminal behaviour in our community. But anyway I will not be churlish.I congratulate her and I want to acknowledge Denis O’Rourke who mentioned at the start of his address that National has had a focus since we came into office on building a safer New Zealand. It has after all been one of our key Better Public Services targets. We have had a huge number of justice-related and criminal justice - related measures that have come through Parliament and we are seeing results with a lower crime rate. In fact crime is at its lowest level in 30 years and that is a fantastic achievement. Youth crime is down significantly—Andrew Little: Get the figures right. Why doesn’t the member get the figures right? Doesn’t have an argument. Doesn’t have an answer.TIM MACINDOE: —and I think that Mrs Lole-Taylor is bringing something forward that is a thoughtful contribution to perhaps making another step in the right direction. I hear Mr Little chirping away. He needs to be reminded that before we came into office in 2008 crime was increasing gangs were on the rampage courts were overcrowded and our prisons were particularly overcrowded and had a chronic shortage of beds—Andrew Little: Why can’t this member get the facts right?TIM MACINDOE: I am giving him all the facts. He does not like it. He will not correct me because he knows that I am right. He will simply continue to barrack. Well that is fine. I expect that sort of fairly churlish behaviour but I will just carry on.In recent times we have put 600 extra front-line police on the beat—that is a good measure. We have got a 70 percent increase in police foot patrols as of the end of last year—that is a fantastic achievement. These are some of the reasons why we are getting these major improvements. I have no doubt that these will continue and at any stage we cannot let up on our focus.This particular bill amends the Sentencing Act. As I am one of the final speakers it may be that some people have only just tuned in. The bill will amend the Sentencing Act “to make criminal offending in the presence of a minor an aggravating factor at sentencing. Where the offending endangers or exposes a minor to potential adverse effects from that offending the sentence must reflect this.” I am sure we all shudder at the prospect of children being exposed to violent crime or perhaps being brought up in a P lab or seeing some appalling gang activity. What an appalling impact that must be having on these children. There is sadly huge evidence that children who grow up in that sort of environment go on to be at risk of committing that sort of criminal activity themselves and therefore everything we can do to try to prevent that from happening has to be a good thing.I do however want to reassure the public who may be listening that the presence of a child and the risk of harm to them are already aggravating factors that can be taken into account by the courts in sentencing even though they are not specifically listed at the moment in the Sentencing Act. Furthermore where the offending has involved the presence of children alongside the manufacture of drugs offenders have also already been charged with neglect offences and so it should be because as I say the prospect of this happening is so damaging for those children.So as has been indicated by my colleagues National is supporting this bill at its first reading so that it can go to the Law and Order Committee so that submissions can be made on it and it can be given due attention.Colleagues have also mentioned theChildren’s Action Plan. I am a particular fan of and advocate for that because it is part of dealing with the real problem we have with vulnerable children in our community growing up in some dreadful circumstances and being subjected to the most appalling abuse. Sadly we have one of the worst rates of child murder in the Western World. As I say this issue is a passion of mine. I acknowledge all those who work in our communities to deal with that issue and again I hope that this bill will make another contribution in that direction because although we have made some progress there is still a long way to go.I was glad that Mrs Lole-Taylor acknowledged the late Brian Donnelly and the work that he did in this area and I too echo that. He was a fine member of Parliament.We know that a key to reducing crime long term is to stop children from entering the criminal justice system. This is a bill that may well contribute to that end. It will I am sure play a constructive role.So for these reasons I too support its introduction and the fact that it should be sent to the select committee. It sounds from the way speakers have talked as if it will be. I again congratulate Mrs Lole-Taylor on her achievement. I will follow the bill’s progress through the select committee and beyond with interest.