Collins Judith: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Bill — In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
Collins Judith: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Bill — In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
[Volume:626;Page:21003] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 Having listened to the Minister in the chair the Hon Rick Barker give his excuse for Part 3 of this bill— 
Brian Connell 
: It was an excuse. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: —and it was an excuse—there are a few matters I wish to take up. He told us that we could not have retrospective legislation to deal with those dreadful criminals and the payments for their hurt feelings. Time and time again in this House we get retrospective legislation from this Government. Time and time again in this House we get told that something will be retrospective. There is always retrospective legislation when it concerns the Government taking money from hard-working taxpayers. Funnily enough the one time the Government gets all squeamish about retrospective legislation is when money is going to criminals because of their hurt feelings. We in this House are supposed to sit here and swallow that one. Well that is just too much of a dead rat and frankly we are not swallowing it. 
Obviously retrospective legislation is never ideal but there is a time and a place for everything. This is the time and this is the place for some retrospective legislation to sort out the nonsense of hurt feelings for people who have not shown one scrap of feeling for their victims and their victims’ families. Those people have been brought up—or dragged up—to believe that only they have rights. They do not have one responsibility other than to themselves and they care nothing about anything other than getting some money in damages off the taxpayer under Part 3 of the bill. They can say: “Aren’t we lucky! It’s better than robbing the bank.”—and that is exactly what they are doing. 
Then we heard from Mr Barker the pathetic excuse as to why Part 3 is in the bill. He said that the victims can sue the criminals. Now we all know that Mr Barker is a very simple man but at no stage did I think he was that naive. What planet is that man from? [ 
Interruption 
] Is he from the same planet as Lynne Pillay? Perhaps he is. If he thinks those victims and their families wish to go back into a courtroom and sue the scum that has destroyed their lives then all I can say is: what planet is he on? Of course they do not! Then he talked about how those criminals could write books. My goodness I do not think they are writing books! He said they could write books and make money out of that which would mean there would be money for the victims. Rubbish! All he needs to do is to think a little bit and get some advice. If he got some advice he would be told that the book could be written by someone else—in someone else’s name—who could then give the money to the criminal. In fact the victims Mr Barker talks about will never get a cent. Criminals can write under ghost names and through books owned by companies. They will do anything so that not one cent goes to those victims. We on this side of the Chamber know that will happen because we have thought this thing through. But Mr Barker thinks that those criminals will suddenly get a conscience and want to give money— 
Stephen Franks 
: Mr Goff. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Oh Mr Goff will too. Mr Goff—who is very silent on the bill today I notice—wants to allow those vicious criminals to benefit from their crimes but he says they will not be able to because somehow the victims will get the money. Well I suggest he wakes up and smells the roses because that will not happen under this bill and certainly not under Part 3. Those victims have never asked for money. How much do we put on a life? What is the price of a life? 
Hon Georgina te Heuheu 
: Not much according to this Government. 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: Georgina te Heuheu has said it—not much according to this Government. Actually no amount of money will ever compensate a parent for losing a child. No amount of money will ever bring back the innocence and freedom a young girl had before she was raped—no amount of money. This Government does us no credit in this Chamber when it tells victims it will get them some money. The Government is taking the money off the victims who pay taxes.