Meager JamesJAMES MEAGER (National—Rangitata): Thank you Mr Speaker. This bill represents a significant step forward in modernising our justice system. It improves access to justice and addresses many challenges that have long plagued our courts—challenges which were well laid out by the previous member Tamatha Paul in her contribution.I wanted to state for the record my congratulations to the Minister for bringing her first bill one of many I'm sure through the House to near completion. And I just wanted to also acknowledge the Justice Committee for the hard work they did on this bill as well. It is the committee's careful consideration and this House's careful consideration which ensures that the bill we are presented with today is both robust and responsive to the needs of our justice system.At its core this bill is about three fundamental principles: efficiency accessibility and protection. Efficiency is paramount in our justice system. As we have said many times in this House by many members justice delayed is justice denied. We currently face a significant backlog in our courts. The member opposite referred to over 100000 incidents of delays. Some cases in our courts take up to 500 days for a jury trial and some 18 months for victims of serious crimes to have their day in court. This is unacceptable. This bill will go some way to enable the greater use of remote participation help streamline court processes reduce unnecessary adjournments and ultimately speed up the delivery of justice.Accessibility is the second key principle of this bill. Our justice system must be accessible to all New Zealanders regardless of their geographic location physical abilities and personal circumstances. Remote participation opens up new avenues for engagement with the court system. It means witnesses in remote areas can more easily access the justice system. I'm aware that the Ministry of Justice is undertaking further programmes to improve the level of accessibility in our courts.Thirdly our principle of protection—one which is particularly important to this side of the House and is particularly crucial when it comes to protecting victims of crime. Now this bill does give victims and their support persons the option to observe criminal trials and sentencing remotely. This is a significant step forward in victim protection and support. For many victims in our country the prospect of turning up to court facing their perpetrator in court can be particularly re-traumatising. Providing that option of remote participation helps empower victims to engage with the justice process on their own terms in a way which feels safe and manageable to them.Look in conclusion it's been traversed quite often quite regularly in all stages of the House. It's supported across the House today. The bill represents what we think is a very balanced and pragmatic approach to modernising the court system. It enhances efficiency without compromising fairness it improves accessibility without undermining the gravity and importance of court proceedings in our legal system and it provides additional protections for victims without infringing on the rights of victims.I commend the bill to the House and I urge all members to continue giving it their full support.