Sepuloni Carmel: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Sepuloni Carmel: Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Sitting date: 22 June 2010. Volume:664;Page:12073. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour) 
: 
 We support the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims (Expiry and Application Dates) Amendment Bill. As has been discussed it is just a technical change. It amends the Prisoner’s and Victims’ Claims Act which was an Act that Labour brought in in 2005. We support it because it addresses the rights of victims. 
I will touch on something that my colleague Clayton Cosgrove discussed earlier with regard to the absence of the ACT Party in the debate on this bill. That is concerning because so often we hear from its members about the protection of victims and the rights of victims. We heard that rhetoric over and over again in relation to the “three strikes” bill. Yet when there is genuine legislation before us that actually addresses the rights of victims those members are nowhere to be seen. That is concerning because it shows that ACT really is not about the rights of victims or the protection of victims; it seems that it is more about punitive measures for offenders with no real compassion for victims fuelling that. That is of concern to members on this side. 
The bill addresses the rights of victims to any compensation that prisoners may have access to. Victims will be able to make a claim on that money. So the bill addresses the rights of victims. But this side of the House has an overwhelming concern that although the bill does that it is only one part of what needs to be done. A lot of other things need to be done. A lot needs to be done by the National Government to protect victims’ rights but unfortunately over and over again it has failed to do that in so many ways. 
One of those ways is the Government’s changes to accident compensation policies. It has failed to protect the rights of sexual abuse victims and it has failed to provide the support that those victims require. It has let down those victims and it has let down the extended families of those victims. This side of the House feels that that is intolerable. It is hard for us to listen to members opposite say they support this bill because they support the rights of victims. We know that on the one hand National is supporting this bill that it has introduced this technical change so that the legislation Labour introduced in 2005—the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act—can be extended yet on the other hand National has denied sexual abuse victims their right to accident compensation services to the counselling that they require. That is a concern but it is only one example. There are other examples. 
I will touch on the increase in crime that we have been experiencing across the country over the last couple of years. There has been an increase in violent crime and in crime generally. One of those places that has experienced that increase is Waitakere but unfortunately the Government cut the number of police in that area by 10 officers. It is difficult to comprehend how we can assist victims of crime or stop there being further victims of crime when we see actual cuts to the number of police available to address call-outs to ensure that those things do not happen or to address them when they do. That is another area where we have seen the Government fail to protect victims. It has avoided doing anything about the increasing number of victims and it has not represented them by making sure that whatever policies whatever measures whatever actions it takes are supportive of victims. 
Labour members support this bill. We support it because we introduced the Act in 2005 and we know that it is good legislation. It does all of those things that I said the National Government should be doing in other areas but has failed to do. The bill protects the rights of victims and it addresses the rights of victims so we are supportive of it. We are happy that the National Government is extending the Act. It is good to see the Government doing something right.