Ryall Tony: Sentencing (Community Sentencing to Fit the Crime) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Ryall Tony: Sentencing (Community Sentencing to Fit the Crime) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay Of Plenty) 
: 
 In addressing the issue of Mrs Newman’s bill on community sentencing— 
Jill Pettis 
: How did he get the next call? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: I suspect that paint is being stripped in Wanganui. In bringing this bill to the House Dr Muriel Newman is focusing on one of the major weaknesses of this Minister’s administration of the criminal justice system in this country—that is community work. Community work has become a byword for slap-happy mismanagement of people's sentences. I released figures last year that the Government did not want to release—that is figures that showed in some parts of this country such as the seat of Rotorua fewer than a quarter of the people required to turn up for community work actually turned up. 
Russell Fairbrother 
: Ha ha! 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Mr Fairbrother can laugh but he is the man who defended a lot of the crims who are not turning up for community work in the Hawke’s Bay. What is worse is that this Minister was completely unaware of the mismanagement of community work in his portfolio. Worse still this week fewer than half the people who should turn up for community work will actually turn up. What is the problem? The problem is that the Government has removed all the power and sanction of the community work supervisors. If someone does not turn up for community work after a number of non-appearances the community work supervisor may sanction the non-attender by referring that case back to the judge for breaching his or her community work. 
Do members know what happens? When those people are referred back to the judge for breaching community work what is the sentence under this Government? If people do not turn up for community work more than half are sentenced to more community work. Under this Government’s liberal justice policies if people do not turn up for community work more than half will be sentenced to more community work and believe it or not I think that about a quarter of the people will have their community work wiped altogether. So if people do not turn up the judges will wipe the community work when their non-attendance is brought to their attention. 
This is just another example of the liberal justice system that New Zealanders have decided they have had enough of. If someone is to be sentenced to 300 hours of community work would members not expect that he or she does it? What about the young man in Rotorua who had something like $40000 worth of fines wiped in return for 300 hours of community work? That is about $143 an hour for the community work that he will be doing in Rotorua. Does that sound fair? Does that sound right? We know that if people turn up to community work in Rotorua they are probably one of only about four who actually turn up. So Muriel Newman is dead right to bring this bill to the House and the National Party in Opposition for a few months more will certainly support this bill. 
However in the select committee we would like to see changes made to give the community work supervisors power to sanction these people. In the past the community work supervisors were able to provide immediate penalties for non-attendance whether it was additional hours or references to the judge but now those sanctions have been removed and people know they do not need to turn up. Fewer than half of the people who should turn up for community work this Saturday actually will. If the system itself will not take the sentences seriously then it is little wonder that the criminals do not. 
This Minister has been informed of these changes. In fact when he was a new Minister he became aware of these problems when I drew it to the attention of the public. He promised there would be a review of the community work scheme and the reporting mechanisms. Do members want to know what has happened? Absolutely nothing! New Zealand continues to be lumbered with a liberal justice system with a liberal Government and with a Minister who does not know what is going on in his department. 
I would like him to take the next call and tell this House what he has actually done since he announced his review of community work at the beginning of last year. [ 
Interruption 
] I am sorry—was that the Minister Mr Benson-Pope ringing the police and requiring them to collect his debts again? I wonder whether it was. I doubt it. This Government certainly needs to know that changes need to be made to the community work scheme. One of the reasons why I am suspicious of this Government’s crime statistics which were released today—and I bet members do not know that the crime statistics were reviewed and corrected secretly in May last— 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: In May? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Yes in May last year the 2003 calendar year statistics were amended without anyone knowing and without any announcement. Do members know that? 
Simon Power 
: How could that be so? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Well that is just how this Government deals with statistics. Let us look at what these guys opposite were doing with the statistics for community work. The Ministers were saying: “There is 80 percent compliance with community work.” But what they were not telling the public was that when they looked at the form that has to be filled in they looked at how many people did not turn up because they are regular non-attenders and they removed them from the equation. The Government looked at how many people did not turn up because they were drunk for example or could not find a babysitter—and they removed them from the equation as well. So the number the Government used in comparing the numbers of those who attend is a much lower number. It is the number arrived at after the Government has extracted all those groups and the Government gets a percentage and it can say: “Look 80 percent turned up.” 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: Isn’t that dishonest? 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Darn right it is dishonest! We had all these questions and answers in the House about the compliance rate with community work but when we actually got the forms and asked how many of the people who should have turned up actually did turn up we found that fewer than half did. That is absolutely appalling. 
So what can be done about it? Muriel Newman’s bill proposes a number of changes and the first of those—[ 
Interruption 
] Oh that was the member for Rotorua. Well let us talk about the member for Rotorua who chips in here. The member from Rotorua is the member who when everyone else in the Bay of Plenty was saying: “Save our rescue helicopter.” stood up and said: “Actually the ACC plan is great and we want a fixed-wing aircraft.” That is what she said. She said the Accident Compensation Corporation plan was great and that they should have fixed-wing aircraft. 
Simon Power 
: That will work in the hills! 
Hon TONY RYALL 
: Yes! That member is the only person in the Bay of Plenty who defended the Accident Compensation Corporation’s rescue helicopter plan. The only person in the Bay of Plenty who defended that plan was Steve Chadwick. She said it was a really good plan and: “Let’s have fixed-wing air ambulances as well.” No wonder this woman is in trouble in Rotorua! She is so out of touch with ordinary people in Rotorua. Rotorua does not want prostitution legalised Rotorua is not in favour of cannabis reform and Rotorua is not in favour of civil unions—but Steve Chadwick is. Rotorua is not in favour of a liberal community work approach which we have seen from this Government but Steve Chadwick is. And that is the reason why Dr Gilbert Stehbens will be one of the great surprises of the election campaign when he is elected as MP for Rotorua. So I would like to ask Mrs Chadwick to go to her community work centre this Saturday and tell me how many people turn up.