Dean Jacqui: Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Dean Jacqui: Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Sitting date: 08 February 2012. Volume:677;Page:221. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 I will resume— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. On that occasion again there was no call from the National bench. The member did not call. Well we certainly could not hear her on this side and at the point you called her she was not even properly on her feet. 
Louise Upston 
: Speaking to the point of order— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not think we need to take this matter any further. I do not want to take more time of the House. It was an interrupted debate. The member was speaking at the time of the interruption. Under normal courtesy in the House the member does have the first call. I agree with the honourable member though. I ask members to actually be more on the button. On a couple of occasions we have had members slow to get to their feet and it does not make it easier. But the call is with Jacqui Dean. She has 9 minutes and 30 seconds remaining to speak should she wish to take them. 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The normal practice then when there is an interrupted speech is for the Speaker to say “When this debate was interrupted Jacqui Dean was on her … ”—is that her name—“… Jacqui Dean was on her …”—  
Mr SPEAKER 
: I accept—[ 
Interruption 
] The member should not be interjecting. Again I accept the blame for this situation myself totally. The member is quite correct. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Thank you for the opportunity to resume my speech. Last night at the close of play I was describing how a lone constable in Oamaru had the foresight and the bravery to climb out of the gutter having been beaten there by a carload of what I referred to last night as scumbags and I refer to them as that today. They had beaten this police officer who was in the course of his duty into the gutter on the main street of Oamaru. This officer got out of the gutter gave chase to them arrested them and held them until support arrived for him. That is the kind of police officer and that is the kind of duty that we should be honouring in New Zealand and indeed this bill the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill does that.  
This Government supports the police; this bill does exactly that. 
Sitting suspended from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Thank you so much for the third opportunity to make a contribution on this bill. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Don’t thank us; thank your mates. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: You thought the first two were good? Well you just wait until you see what I can come up with. Look it is the same story and I think it does bear repeating. There are police and prison officers all around New Zealand who in the course of their duties come into strife and I think the key point that Judith Collins when Minister of Police and Minister of Corrections always made is that we need to back our police; we need to back our prison staff. We need to back in fact everybody who works in the service of New Zealanders. But in particular in this bill the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill we are focusing on our police and our corrections staff because of one critical aspect—that is when trouble comes along unexpectedly or expectedly those of us who may be involved if it is perhaps a traffic accident or maybe we are witness to assault out on the street or some other dreadful event that threatens us as citizens we have the option of running away. If I wanted to I could flee the scene. I hope I would not; maybe I would stay and help out but I do have that option.  
Hon Phil Heatley 
: You’d help me. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: The police do not. I would help my most excellent colleague certainly I would but the police do not have that option nor do corrections staff. That is the key difference and that is why this Government shows absolutely that we support our front line because they are there to protect us and to protect all New Zealanders.  
So just to go through the detail of the bill which is a relatively straightforward bill currently an offence against a law enforcement officer is not an aggravating factor when that person comes up for sentencing. So although it might be in practice that the judge takes that matter into account they do not necessarily have to do so. This bill places on paper the fact that that consideration—that that police officer or corrections officer who is not able to walk away or run away from trouble—is an aggravating factor in sentencing. I have found— 
Hon Judith Collins 
: They represent the rule of law. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: The Minister so rightly points out that they do represent the rule of law and it is that rule of law that we value so highly in New Zealand. Do you know the attitude of the Labour Party has disappointed me over this issue. Last night in the late stages of the House the interventions of the Labour members were a little disappointing because their enthusiasm for this bill was at best half-hearted. I heard them making comments like “Oh well do we really need it?” “Is it really going to achieve anything?” “Is this bill going to make any difference?”— 
Hon David Parker 
: No it won’t. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Well I say to Labour members and I say in particular to David Parker who was rejected resoundingly by the people of the Waitaki electorate on several occasions and so therefore is not really in touch with his community—oh and Epsom. I say to that member who was merrily interjecting from the other side of the House that yes it does matter actually. It does matter that those of our members of the police and corrections who may not run away from trouble are recognised in law and recognised by this Government. So with that very salient point I commend this bill to the House.