Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
Brownlee Gerry: General Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16686] 
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
: 
 That was an incredibly insensitive speech to give on the day that the coroner’s report on the death of Karl Kuchenbecker was released to the public. If anyone has glanced at that report then he or she would know that the claims just made by the Hon Phil Goff are utterly unsustainable. They are utterly unsustainable. There have been four murders—four violent execution-style murders—in 2 weeks yet he stands in here and says that everything is great under Labour. Well if it is all so good under Labour then why has it all gone so bad? Why do we have communities up and down this country living in siege and in fear of going out into the very streets that are their neighbourhood? 
The sad thing is that the Government knowing that it has been caught short has tried all sorts of things in the last few days to justify its position. First there was the disgraceful comment from the Hon David Cunliffe that poor old Navtej Singh who had to lie there shot for quite some time before he got any assistance would have died anyway. We would like to know on what basis Mr Cunliffe made that statement. It typifies the attitude of this Government—it has happened so it pretends there are no consequences whatsoever. Then the Government started the argument that perhaps the police should be armed. But we know that the Government has not even been able to get a simple Taser trial to the point where the police are comfortable about introducing that weapon which is much less effective than a hand-held gun or rifle. 
Then the Prime Minister said that maybe the problem was the alcohol laws. She said that maybe we have all become far too liberal that there are too many outlets and too many 24-hour sale places and that perhaps that is the problem. Well this Government has been in place for 9 years so why has it not done something about that situation if that is a genuine belief held by those members? Why did they continue to block for month after month the initiative from their own member George Hawkins? Suddenly this week when it all blows up it is all fine. They tell George to get his legislation in there on the Order Paper so that they can point to it as they go around the countryside pleading their pathetic case to the voters who frankly are not listening. Mr Goff’s speech was a disgrace. To say after 9 years that it is much better now than it was before almost denies the fact that Labour has been in Government for all that period of time. 
I congratulate John Key on taking the strong stances he has taken. I think New Zealanders recognise that he has taken these strong stances. When he spoke about the underclass and the consequences of having an underclass 18 months ago there was a resonance. When he spoke earlier this year about the need for a change to the way in which we deal with youth crime and youth justice there was a resonance. Throughout the country very very few people would argue that the military-style boot camps we intend making available as a sentencing option for the Youth Court are not of great value. I ask anyone in this House whether they saw the  
20/20  
programme last Sunday night which showed some young kids who had decided to put themselves through that particular course. It struck me then that those young people were giving up some of their liberty voluntarily in order to instil in their lives the opportunity and the discipline that will give them the greatest liberty of all—individual self-reliance. We want more young people who are in danger to be given that opportunity. 
John Key has gone out and said that the next National Government will fight a war against drugs and against drug dealers drug peddlers and anyone else who wants to associate themselves with that culture. I do not understand why after 9 years of understanding that this was a growing problem the Government has done nothing until today when the Prime Minister decided with some desperation to dust off legislation that was clearly rejected 12 months ago flick it across to the Leader of the Opposition and ask him to please finally support it. Well I tell members to think about this. Firstly it was armed police then it was alcohol prior to that it was said that nothing could be done because the guy was going to die anyway and now it is the Government getting in a law in a hurry that deals more quickly with criminal association. This is an utterly pathetic response from a Government that is totally washed up.