Goldsmith PaulHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister of Justice): Well I thought I had three minutes to go and here we go. It's great to be here talking in this Budget debate after what has been I think a very well received Budget up and down this country where people have noticed the feel and experienced the pressure that are on many households after a long period of slow growth with higher interest rates and inflation that we've experienced as a country for a long while now.We now have a new Government that is determined to change that and turn that around. But first get inflation under control which longer term leads to lower interest rates and allows people to get more for their money—their weekly pay packet—after all the housing costs that they experience. So that's the primary reason why this Budget has been a very disciplined Budget after a period of ill discipline from that fellow called Grant Robertson that used to hold that post.Secondly for the first time in 14 years this Government under Nicola Willis with the leadership of Christopher Luxon and the rest of the coalition team including my good friend and colleague Shane Jones sitting down the aisle there is about offering the first tax relief in 14 years so that New Zealanders have more money in their pockets. A lot of people have had adjustments for inflation over the last few years apart from taxpayers and they've had to pay more and more.Now I'm keen to talk about the investment in restoring law and order in this country that comes from this Budget because the number one issue on the doorsteps was a concern around the cost of living; number one particularly in Auckland and the Waikato and the northern parts of New Zealand but also around many parts of New Zealand was a concern around law and order and public safety. People want to feel safe in their communities and they keep seeing ram raids retail crime violent crime increasing; gangs intimidating the population taking over towns; and they feel unsafe and they're concerned about the safety of their community.They want a firmer response and that's what this Government is delivering through its legislative programme and what it has allowed for in its Budget through extra resources for the police in order to go and catch people. Because one of the most important ways to deal with violent crime—we have a target to reduce the number of victims of crime by 20 percent—is to increase the chances of being caught; and secondly once you're caught being held to account.First part of that is about giving extra resources to the police to go out there—500 extra police out on the streets—and making it more likely that people are going to be caught. Secondly of course and we heard the refrain time and time again when we visited the victims of crime; when we go the dairies; when we go to the sports shops and the many other retailers around the place who have been the victims of violent crime. The number one message that we hear over and again is Well there's just no consequences. These kids they caused $50000 worth of damage to my shop. My insurance has gone up. I've been knocked about. We live in fear. We're feeling put upon and we're working our guts out trying to just make a go of this country and make a living to look after our kids and we're getting set upon time and time in by the same mob and there's no consequences for them."So we heard that message and we want to change that. That's why we're making changes in so many areas such as stopping the gravy train cottage industry around cultural reports that have happened. Secondly giving the police the extra powers that they need to go after gangs banning gang patches stopping them sort of gathering in groups being able to give extra powers to deal with organising crime and also dealing with the firearms that so threaten our safety in our society.Then we're going to bring back three-strikes legislation. Now one of the consequences of bringing three strikes is that it holds our worst repeat offenders in custody out of harm's way for longer. That's the purpose of it: that if you are a repeat serious offender who has had violent crimes over an extended period of time we want you off the street so that you can create fewer victims. That's the purpose of it and that's what we're going to do.Then secondly we're going to deal with the youth crime situation that we've inherited. Even—what was the name Jacinda Ardern?—even Jacinda Ardern admitted that we need extra tools to deal with the repeat youth offenders. Because it's blindingly obvious to everybody that there is a small group—I've got four young people in my family; most people in this country most young people don't go anywhere near the court system. Actually overall youth crime has been falling over the last few decades. Most people do well; they don't get in trouble. Everything's fine.There's a small group who do get in trouble and for the majority of that group the light-touch rehabilitative focus approach that we have—not dragging them through the courts but actually giving them every opportunity to recognise the gravity of what they'd done and moved on—for the vast majority that works as well. So the vast majority never go near the courts and the vast majority of the ones that do get into trouble they do it once and they've never seen or heard of again. So the light-touch system works.But there is a small group—a small group—where that doesn't work. They are the serious repeat youth offenders who are doing the ram raids in our community bringing in aggravated attacks with hammers and causing chaos in our retail space in particular. That's the group where we need some different tools and that's why we're introducing the Young Serious Offender category which dials up the consequences for them. It may instead of a pat on the head and "We'll see you again next weekend" it may be an ankle bracelet or it might be juvenile facilities because there has to be consequences for serious crime. Secondly providing for some military academies Again a different approach; another tool that the judiciary can use.Now people will say "Oh well you're only interested in punitive reactions." Well yes a little bit of punitive reactions is required but it is by no means—and nobody has ever suggested that's the only thing we're doing because we're also focused on dealing with those long-term issues of crime. But you got to do both: you can't do one or the other.You can't just focus on long-term issues and think that everything is going to be solved because you've got to deal with the problem right here right now on our streets and in our shops wielding the claw hammer and causing the damage. But long term we've got to deal with a catastrophic rise in truancy that we've seen and the fact that 3000 kids are waking up in emergency accommodation; those long-term housing mental health and addiction issues we need to work on as well. So that's what this Government is certainly focused on.I just want to also just mention before the end of that is in the arts. I just want to just make the point that against a strong ripping tide where it has been a tough Budget we held our ground. One of the great contributions we made was through Te Matatini and the kapa haka and I was up in Ruatōria and I met with Tā Selwyn Parata this weekend and they're very proud of that and we're pleased to make that contribution. Thank you Mr Speaker."