Prebble Richard: General Debates 
Prebble Richard: General Debates 
[Volume:610;Page:7231] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (Leader—ACT NZ) 
: 
 I move  
That the House take note of miscellaneous business 
. I rise on behalf of the ACT party to raise three issues quickly in this general debate: the issue of the foreshore the issue involving Mr Williamson that we see on television and the very interesting deputation to Parliament this week from representatives of the Sensible Sentencing Trust. 
Firstly on the issue of the foreshore I recommend to members of Parliament that they take the trouble to do something that I do not think the Government has done—that is to read the Court of Appeal’s decision. No judge in the Court of Appeal ruled that any Maori has any right to the foreshore or seabed. In fact when we analyse what the Court of Appeal did we find that all it stated was that under the rule of law a citizen can go to the court to assert his or her rights of ownership. The question that I ask Government members—and they should be answering it—is this: why are they not allowing the court cases to proceed? 
As a lawyer I advise the House that Maori will have great difficulty in succeeding. Indeed in the particular case of Marlborough the Chief Justice expressed a doubt as to whether they would succeed. Why is it a good reason to go for a court case? Well we should look at the possible outcomes. A case could go to court and be turned down. In that event we do not have to legislate or do anything. If a case went to court and Maori won at that point the Government would know exactly what property rights Maori have. If the Government is saying—and I support this—that the public should have access to our beaches then at that point we could work out exactly what property rights if any need to be bought by the taxpayer. 
But what we now have is a lose-lose-lose situation. Every young Maori in the country thinks that every Maori owns the foreshore so young Maori have a great sense that there is an injustice. They think the Government will pull out its chequebook and write out huge cheques. It is not just young Maori but young and old Maori who think they own the foreshore when they possibly do not. 
Darren Hughes 
: How do you know? 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: I have been watching the television and hearing the statements that are being made and I wish the Government member would also do that. 
Government members should stop playing politics. I tell them that I made a similar recommendation to the Lange Labour Government in respect of the fishing case which I said should be taken to court. I predicted that if we did not take it to court there would be a huge bill. Who has been proved to be right? That matter still has not been settled. I remember Geoffrey Palmer telling me that it might take 6 years to settle if the case were taken to court. Well it has now taken more than 12 years and there has been no settlement. 
On the question of Mr Williamson I say to him briefly that I would love to see him back at the Commerce Committee. I do not get there as often as I would like to but I think it would be a good idea if he went to the committee. It would be a good idea if he and the National Party recognised they should settle the issues. It takes two to settle so I say that to both parties. I warn the National Party and Mr Williamson that if there is a by-election in Pakuranga the ACT party intends to win it. 
Peter Brown 
: Ha ha! 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: If the member wants to laugh let him make my day! But he should not tell me later that we did not give him fair warning of that. 
Finally I ask the Government why representatives of the Sensible Sentencing Trust turned up in Parliament this week. They turned up—[ 
Interruption 
]—and the member should have gone and met those victims of crime instead of laughing as he now is. They turned up because under this Labour Government violent crime has gone up by 13.3 percent robberies have gone up by 15.8 percent—those are the Government’s own figures—grievous assaults are up by 21 percent and sexual offences are up by 16 percent. 
This Government’s soft-on-crime approach does not work. It is a disgrace that the Prime Minister could not find time to meet the victims of crime. She is prepared to meet the Government’s own pet groups but she did not have time to meet the victims of crime. The No. 1 responsibility of the State is to provide order and the rule of law and this Government is failing to do that. I also give notice to the Government that the ACT party will respond to the sensible sentencing legislation.