Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
[Volume:652;Page:1413] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 The Minister of Corrections Judith Collins just yesterday asked the State Services Commissioner to establish who was accountable for the serious failings identified in the Auditor-General’s report on the management of offenders out on parole. The damning report looked at the case files of 100 offenders on parole between May 2007 and May 2008. Of the 100 case files examined the audit found that in most of them the Department of Corrections did not follow one or more of its own sentence management requirements. I ask members who the Minister of Corrections was at that time. The answer is Phil Goff. This is what Phil Goff had to say in 2007— 
Paul Quinn 
: The Leader of the Opposition? 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Yes he is the Leader of the Opposition. Phil Goff had this to say in November 2007: “As Justice Minister I promoted tough sentencing and parole legislation which imposed much longer sentences on the worst offenders and for parole required the safety of the community to be the paramount consideration.” Well I think the report of the Auditor-General released yesterday by our own excellent Minister of Corrections Judith Collins puts the lie to that. Do members know that Labour has had 9 years to fix the problems in the justice area and in the corrections system yet nothing has been done? To hear Clayton Cosgrove on Radio New Zealand National calling for Judith Collins’ resignation is a joke. Clayton Cosgrove should look in his own backyard for someone to blame. He should look squarely at the Leader of the Opposition who was then the Minister of Corrections. Who is that man? The man responsible is Phil Goff. 
You know we live in extraordinary times. We are facing the most serious economic conditions that we have seen for several generations and this new National Government recognises the economic challenges we face. Unlike Labour which was asleep at the wheel for 9 long years we have a clear understanding of the economic challenges we face. We are focused on finding solutions. As a careful economic manager National has put together a strong economic management plan that will provide the fiscal stimulus to lift us out of recession and boost economic growth over the long term. Labour was in denial but the National Government has a 100-day action plan. 
Let me just run through some of the things that National has achieved in the first 98 days of our 100-day action plan. We have acted swiftly and decisively to provide temporary relief to those made redundant with our excellent ReStart assistance package which has been very well received by the people who need it. We have passed legislation to reduce taxes. That measure will put more money in New Zealanders’ pockets; it comes into force on 1 April. We have introduced a 90-day trial period for new employees making it easier for small businesses to hire staff. “Hallelujah!” was what I heard from small-business owners all around New Zealand when that measure was brought in. The National Government is working to bring forward the infrastructure spending it has announced and it is working to promote economic growth with the reforms of the Resource Management Act that will be introduced into the House this week. I hear “Hallelujah!” again particularly from my own electorate of Waitaki where the Resource Management Act has been a vexatious issue for many people who wish to get things done. The National Government is a Government of action and we are true to our word.