SpeechBRETT HUDSON (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. Well without question the greatest privilege we have as members of Parliament is the parliamentary privilege afforded to us in this House and in the conducting of parliamentary business and today we witnessed—I witnessed I believe for the first time—a member use that privilege which should be treated with the respect due to the latitude the vast latitude it affords us to make unfounded allegations about a number of people in a forum where they have no ability to respond. None of them can attend this Chamber and respond with the same protections afforded to Winston Peters a response to those allegations. I would hope that I would never show such a character to take the opportunity in this House to do such things to others. To me I believe that would simply debase myself and I leave it to New Zealanders to interpret the comments from Winston Peters earlier this afternoon.Now on to the Government a Government of misprioritisation. I asked the police Minister today about gun offences and incidents involving gang members and associates. This is against a backdrop of increasing gang violence particularly with the firearms and all the Minister wanted to respond with was what non-gang members are doing—completely in line with the misprioritisation in the arms legislation of this Government over the last 12 months. They spent parliamentary effort for 12 months putting more costs rules and regulations on people that are fundamentally law-abiding people—certainly people that don't present public safety risks to other New Zealanders. So when faced with a legitimate question about just how serious is the escalating violence particularly that using firearms across our communities the Minister just sought to deflect and cast blame on those that are not perpetuating it.The true backdrop is months—it stretches well back into last year—of extreme violence being perpetrated by gang members and associates: execution-style killings in Auckland; a mother gunned down on her own doorstep because her son who had gang affiliations wasn't at home; multiple homicides in Tauranga—a house there a home shot up with a semi-automatic firearm. So much gang violence particularly involving firearms and this Government doesn't want to deal with the issue. Instead it wants to focus on those people that don't break the law because of course punishing the innocent is how you reduce crime or at least they seem to think so.So when my firearms prohibition orders member's bill came up for debate this morning a measure that will actually allow a proper crackdown on those people that present the greatest risk to public safety with respect to firearms they simply would not support that measure. They talked tough all throughout the Arms Legislation Bill. The Minister tried to talk tough about cracking down on criminals and gangs. Well it does nothing fundamentally that bill—nothing in that area. But when presented with a bill that would he ran from it. Tried to hide behind some advice hide behind a New Zealand Bill of Rights Act assessment knowing full well that this Parliament has the authority the sovereignty to pass legislation that may impinge on rights—in fact we did so recently with prisoner voting. He ran from it instead of standing up for the safety of New Zealanders showing them that we should and do care for them and instead sought to deflect from a very real issue minimalising the trauma and harm that is occurring in our communities. Gangs have grown over 34 percent under this Government. There are 7166 gang members or associates as of April this year. It is a growing problem. They refuse to do anything about it. It's time for a Government that will.