O'Connor SimonSIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): You know here was me thinking that the Labour Party after doubling the taxes on Aucklanders couldn't lose any more votes but after listening to this left-wing socialist drivel I am delighted to stand up and say this is a good bill. The last speaker Priyanca Radhakrishnan said Oh we shouldn't be punitive." Absolutely we should be punitive. This is not about giving teddy bears to criminals and making up excuses. This is what we've been filled with here tonight: apologists for crime and bad behaviour.We get it from the left wing time and time again: criminals are a product of everybody else; people commit crimes because we as a society are being bad to people. Well wake up on the other side. Crime exists in human nature and all your talk of health and kindness ain't gonna make a lick of difference.Maybe if some of you like myself had been to the prisons and worked on the front line you might just have a little bit more of an understanding.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Excuse me.SIMON O'CONNOR: They're clearly apologists—actually Madam Assistant Speaker I have absolute confidence that you do have an understanding—absolute apologists for crime here.Allow me to give the members opposite and those committing the crimes a little bit of advice: if you don't want to get your benefits cut well don't commit the crime in the first place. If you have committed the crime and you don't want to have your benefit cut well turn up when corrections asks you to.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order! I just remind the member I don't want to be brought into the debate.SIMON O'CONNOR: Oh! I am sorry.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Thank you.SIMON O'CONNOR: Apologies. We will get that right.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): The word you were using is "you".SIMON O'CONNOR: Oh I know it's such a—look the English language has many failings in it and that's one of them.The other side would do very well in suggesting to those committing the crimes: well actually don't go against what corrections says.The third part—and this really really gets me down; we get if from the left all the time—is using children as pawns: the "Oh my God! Who will think of the children?" I worked on the front line in the social service for year after year and what was striking was the number of people with bad behaviours who would bring their children in and basically use them as pawns to go away and to continue poor behaviour. Well let's put out a radical idea. If that's happening maybe we should have a conversation with those parents and ask them why they've got those children—and maybe we should be doing some more interventions. I want to make it really clear tonight: to the left and to those who are against this bill stop using children as pawns.At the end of the day if you want to wax lyrical about rights and the rights to welfare and all of this well also understand the real basic of rights is it comes with obligations. One of those basics is if we as taxpayers are going to continually fund behaviours well then we're going to expect that you actually well you know follow the law—that might be helpful. We're not here to make apologies. If you commit crimes there are consequences. At the end of the day we're talking here about something fairly low level and we're just adding another tool to corrections' arsenal to push back—to push back and to actually put an obligation in place.From the other side all we've heard is—basically it's like their drug policy and everything else. It's basically a principle which says: do whatever the hell a person likes and everyone else will clean up the mess. That's exactly what we're hearing from the left here: commit your crimes don't follow the rules don't do what corrections tells you—in fact use your children as pawns. We're just going to say "That's OK. It's all our fault. Sorry; here's more money." Well that's absolutely absurd but it is absolutely typical of progressive left-wing thinking.As I said right at the start mainstream New Zealand those that are listening in will completely understand that these guys are gaga and unfortunately—and shockingly so and I don't quite understand it—New Zealand First used to say they were tough on crime. They were all about consequences. Well here's a bill—it's relatively simple; it's adding another consequence—and New Zealand First is not prepared to back it.Darroch Ball: Listen to my first speech.SIMON O'CONNOR: I did listen to your first speaker. It was what we call incoherent.It's really confusing but I'm looking forward to going out—not so much into my electorate. I think there's a couple of New Zealand First voters; they're a bit remorseful now—all three of them. But in other parts of the country when we go around they're going to be absolutely shocked that the left and New Zealand First in particular say it's OK not only to commit crimes but to go completely against the directions of corrections and to actually remove one more tool.And I think what will shock them even more is actually the apologist behaviour which is coming from the left here that these poor criminals—it's what is the classic case. I've come across it many a time. It's mixing up—and it's very easy for the left to do this because you know not always working—the difference between reasons and justifications. There are reasons people commit crimes but they don't justify it. So go away and noodle on that. It's a bit of a distinction. It might be a bit brain-hurting but you know it's an absolutely great bill. To Brett Hudson thank you for bringing it here. Look it's not a surprise—those who came in front of the committee and spoke against it. Again it fits a complete and utter stereotype. And I would just end with a little bit of advice that I gave at the start: if a person doesn't want to lose access to their benefit don't commit the crime. Listen to corrections and actually support society rather than work against it."