Simpson Scott: Public Safety (Public Protection Orders) Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSimpson Scott: Public Safety (Public Protection Orders) Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 17 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13444. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): It is a pleasure to rise and stand in support of the first reading of the Public Safety (Public Protection Orders) Bill in the name of the Hon Judith Collins Minister of Justice. We have heard two presentations one from the Minister and one from the Labour justice spokesperson Andrew Little and I think that they have both been very good measured and well-considered presentations. There are unfortunately in society a very small number of troubled people who have fulfilled their obligations in terms of the criminal justice system but still present a real and very threatening risk to the wider public. As Andrew Little made the point in his speech in less enlightened times these people would probably have been incarcerated in some kind of mental institution where they would have been subjected to all kinds of indignities both mental and physical and probably involving drugs and all kinds of treatments that we would consider entirely inappropriate today.As a Parliament we do have an obligation to balance very carefully and very finely the responsibilities of the State to ensure that the public are protected in their homes and as they go about their lawful business from this very small number of people who have the potential to inflict ongoing harm and danger to the general public. So this piece of legislation fulfils a campaign pledge that I and other members of the Government campaigned on during the 2011 general election. It is aimed at people who reach the end of their finite prison sentence and who are subject to the most intensive form of extended supervision order and yet who still pose a very high risk of imminent serious sexual or violent reoffending and where less restrictive forms of supervision are simply not going to be adequate for preventing almost all further reoffending.This is a Government that believes that we should ensure that New Zealanders can feel safe in their homes and in their communities. So I think this fulfilment of an election promise is a significant piece of legislation and I am very pleased that the Minister has been able to bring it to the House for consideration by the Justice and Electoral Committee. Despite serving prison terms a few dangerous offenders are highly likely to reoffend once they have been released back into society. Existing mechanisms such as preventive detention and extended supervision orders which allow authorities to monitor manage and/or recall offenders to prison are sometimes simply not adequate to protect the public. I think this piece of legislation as we go through theselect committee will probe and make sure that the balance between the public’s right to protection and also the individual’s rights in terms of the fulfilment of the criminal justice penalties that have been inflicted upon them because of previous bad crimes will be neatly addressed. The bill balances those rights of New Zealanders to be safe in their community with the rights of offenders who have served their sentence.This bill will protect members of the public and that is what it is really all about. The public protection order will be a court order that will allow the detention of a very high-risk individual at a secure facility within existing prison precincts. Only a very small number of people are likely to be subject to public protection orders. As the Minister has indicated officials estimate that over the next decade a maximum of somewhere between five and 12 offenders are likely to be included in these public protection orders. Individuals will have the opportunity to show that the Crown has not established that they meet the risk criteria at the time that the Crown applies to the High Court for an order.So what are the risk criteria? Well “very high risk” will mean that offending is considered extremely likely. “Serious” means that the predicted offending would cause serious physical or psychological harm to one or more other persons. “Imminent” means that the offending is expected to occur when provided with a suitable opportunity the offender would immediately inflict serious physical or psychological harm to one or more persons.I think this will be a good piece of legislation. As I said I am very pleased that the Minister has introduced it to the House. As chair of the Justice and Electoral Committee I am looking forward to the deliberations and to the submissions we will receive on it. I commend it to the House.