Jones Dail: Criminal Justice Amendment Bill (No 7) — Consideration of Report of Health Committee Procedure In Committee 
Jones Dail: Criminal Justice Amendment Bill (No 7) — Consideration of Report of Health Committee Procedure In Committee 
[Volume:612;Page:9528] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 I know it must be late in the night because clearly the Minister was not even listening to himself as he said that this bill is about people who are not responsible for their criminal acts. So what he is saying is that people who are not responsible for their criminal acts and who may be involved in criminal acts can be possibly let out on bail. When people are involved in criminal acts often very serious ones they should not be let out on bail in the first place. Here we have the situation where a person who is not responsible—which is a polite way of saying that the person is possibly insane—and who has committed a criminal act is to be allowed out on bail. What absolute rubbish! Is this not the same Phil Goff who when he was in Opposition constantly opposed the granting of bail? Did he not time and time again when he was in Opposition say that criminals should not be let out on bail? Now what he is saying is that not only should they be let out on bail but that even if they are criminally insane they should be let out on bail. That is what he is saying. He is giving criminally insane people the opportunity to go out on bail. 
New Zealand First will not be supporting this Supplementary Order Paper. It is absolutely ridiculous. I asked United Future what the Sensible Sentencing Trust would say about this. We are talking about a person who as the Minister himself said in a short speech a few moments ago has committed a criminal act and who is insane and the Minister is going to give that person the opportunity to get bail. That person should not get bail at all. 
The select committee was right when it considered this bill initially and said there should be a mandatory provision of no bail. Is that not what the select committee considered as I understand it? That was the select committee’s original consideration as has been read out by Dr Hutchison in the explanatory note. Instead of the mandatory remand provision the Supplementary Order Paper gives the court the option of remanding such persons on bail. As members of this Chamber we quite often criticise the courts for granting sane people bail. We have been upset and Phil Goff has been upset when visibly sane people have been given bail. Now he is supporting visibly insane people who have committed criminal acts the opportunity to get bail. What absolute ridiculous nonsense on the part of this Minister! It is as simple as that is it not? That is the simple fact of the matter. This Labour Government and this Minister Phil Goff when in Opposition stood here as Labour Opposition members did from time to time and opposed bail. And what was Mr Maharey’s view? It was just that: “Well that was when we were in Opposition.” 
Pansy Wong 
: The ”Maharey principle”. 
DAIL JONES 
: Yes the “Maharey principle” is well and truly in practice tonight. It may be twenty minutes to midnight but here we have the “Maharey principle” in practice. Phil Goff the man who opposed bail left right and centre for all sane people is tonight supporting bail for the insane who have committed criminal acts. What an appalling piece of legislation! 
We in New Zealand First have had enough. Time and time again during this urgency we have been fed 40 30 and again 40 pages of Supplementary Order Papers in respect of the Retirement Villages Bill and other legislation that we have been considering right throughout this urgency. Well this is it. We have cooperated until now to a large extent. We have voted I think for just about every bill we have had under this urgency but we cannot support this one. This legislation is itself just about insane because it supports allowing the insane people who have committed criminal acts to be let out on bail. 
I am sure the doctors in this Chamber will not like me using the word “insane” but I am a New Zealand First member and a lawyer and I call an insane person an insane person. I do not come up with fancy phrases about people not being responsible for their criminal acts. Let us call a spade a spade and an insane person an insane person. For a Minister of Justice to support people who in his own words are not responsible for their criminal acts to be given bail—well what more can one say? 
This Supplementary Order Paper must go back to the select committee. It took only one hour on the previous occasion for the select committee to consider it. Can we not send it back to the select committee and give it at least another hour so that people can make comments on it? I am sure it will come back in less than an hour with the mandatory provision once again reinstated. What does Mrs Steve Chadwick have to say about this? This is clearly not her bill. I expect her to stand up in this Committee and say why she supports insane people getting bail.