1. Youth Justice—Proposed Military AcademiesJACINDA ARDERN (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSYouth Justice—Proposed Military Academies1. JACINDA ARDERN (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his Government's previous support of evidence-based investment practices"; if so does the Government intend to send young people charged with serious offences to a military camp despite the Prime Minister's Science Advisor saying boot camps don't reduce reoffending?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): In answer to the first part of the question yes. It is important that—if you want to actually achieve results with public spending you need to know what works. In answer to the second part of the question what we have announced is a Defence-led training academy involving 12 months of intensive wraparound support for 150 of the most challenging young people in New Zealand as an alternative to them serving out their sentences in prison. This is a new policy. It has not been tried before. We are not prepared to sit back and allow ongoing lack of success in changing the lives of the most challenging 150 young people in the country. Jacinda Ardern: What evidence did he take from the failed corrective training camps he has used in the past and the failed boot camps he used in 2009 to these new boot camps?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Well the member may be pleased to know that for quite a number of the young people in those schemes they did work well. But it is part of our approach to take the lessons from what has been tried to change it improve it and tailor our programmes to the needs of small groups families and individuals—in this case 150 young people who have been convicted of the most serious crimes with sentences of up to 14 years. Labour's approach is to roll out lightweight branded programmes without any care as to whether they work or not spending taxpayers' money to show they care.Jacinda Ardern: Did he consult the Children's Commissioner and former Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft before implementing this policy who says that sentencing youth offenders to boot camp is "arguably the least successful sentence in the Western World."?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: First of all it would be inappropriate to consult the Children's Commissioner on a party policy. Secondly he has made the mistake of listening to the Labour Party's description of the policy. The policy is not 6 weeks of short sharp time living in a tent doing push-ups; the policy is 12 months intensive wraparound for young people whose sentences range up to 14 years because they have committed murder rape aggravated robbery—[Interruption]—well we never give up on these young people. We believe there is always hope and we can always do better than sending them to prison where they learn how to live a life of crime.Mr SPEAKER: Order! I need substantially less interjection from both sides of the House please. [Interruption] Order! I have just asked for less interjection. Jacinda Ardern: Why does he think it is important to give young offenders practical life skills but the idea of teaching those same skills Labour has called for as part of its school leavers' tool kit would cause "chaos" as he said yesterday?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I would certainly be happier talking about our policy than that policy because it sums up the difference you see. The Labour leader raised it. The Labour policy is a typical broad brush that is loosely specified and aimed at no one in particular to try to show that its members care. Our policy is adapted and tailored to the particular group and its needs and is designed to change lives. Our policy is about these serious young offenders; Labour's policy is about a lightweight announcement to fill the media for a day.Jacinda Ardern: Why is he opposing a plan supported by employers Local Government New Zealand and schools to give our young people the practical skills they need in adult life like driving like workplace skills and like budgeting?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: We are not opposing a plan; we are opposing a reheated lightweight announcement that is opposed by secondary school principals. The Government is focused on policy that is tailored to the needs of particularly our most vulnerable and most challenging. The money that that member might want to spray around to show that Labour cares—we are focusing on grappling with some of New Zealand's most challenging social problems and in this case the 150 most difficult young people in New Zealand. If we can change their lives then we change things for this country for the next 30 years.Jacinda Ardern: Has he seen the evidence from the Automobile Association that shows that through things like issuing free driver licences and driver training we have the opportunity to deal more effectively with young drivers reduce offending and fines and reduce the burden on our courts while supporting young people?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The difference here is that Labour wants to show that it cares; this Government actually cares. That is the difference. The member may not know that there are already a number of targeted driver licence programmes designed to reduce driver offending and enable employability with those young people who actually need it. The member may also not be familiar with the trend that fewer young people are getting their licences. I would have thought as the member for an inner-city metropolitan seat she would know that.Jacinda Ardern: Will he join with me—[Interruption]; genuine offer; genuine offer—in investing in young people using programmes that work that will make a difference and that will help young people to make a contribution to New Zealand rather than investing in failed programmes that nobody else supports?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Our measure is not political support for a programme; our measure is whether we can change the lives of 150 young people whose lives have been defined by violence by fragmented families by drug and alcohol addiction by sexual abuse and by serious criminal offending. Frankly I do not care if there is not broad political support. We care about changing the lives of these most challenging young people."