Ghahraman GolrizGOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN (Green): Thank you Madam Speaker. It is not a pleasure to rise and speak to this bill the Crimes (Robbery) Amendment Bill tonight in the House. It is another example of superfluous off-point archaic policy by the National Party Opposition especially on criminal justice. We know that the Prime Minister's chief scientist the very well respected Sir Peter Gluckman after proper research last term declared that imprisonment has failed. To push a failed policy that does not work to keep communities safe that does not restore victims that does not bring down crime rates at great cost both financial and social has now gone past the point of being just bad policy-making just bad politicking; it is callous.For our nation to have a major political party sit there and say that the dream of our members—because that's what members' bills are; they are the one thing you can change—in the middle of a housing crisis a climate crisis a crisis in family and domestic violence a pandemic a crisis in child poverty is to send people to prison for a little bit longer for taking a car for property offences. It does not bring down crime. It does not keep anyone safe. Stop lying to this House. Stop lying to victims and communities. I know what happens in courtrooms because I've practised—Maureen Pugh: Point of order Madam Chair. I don't believe it's in line with the Standing Orders for someone to refer to members lying in this House.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Thank you. The member will stand withdraw and apologise.GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I withdraw and apologise Madam Speaker. So one of the unexpected consequences of this will be that if a 17-year-old takes a car and dumps it down the road with his friend that will be upped to the crime of aggravated robbery because there are two people involved. The tariff case that says how we sentence an aggravated robbery says that we have to send them to prison—have to—for three years. A failed policy that's been costing our nation billions of dollars that doesn't and will not bring down the rate of offending—now we know that; we know that. And yet—Hon Member: Judges have discretion.GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: No not on tariff cases sorry; that's not how precedent works. Having practised criminal law I can tell you that. The tariff case says—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Jacqui Dean): Order! The member will keep the Speaker out of the debate.GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Thank you Madam Speaker. So we have a political party whose members' dreams in the midst of all that our nation is facing by way of complex challenges all that we can fix not child poverty—no that's not a priority for the National Party; not the housing crisis not the pandemic no. We just want to send people to prison for a little bit longer knowing that it won't actually bring down crime rates!So the Green Party won't support a policy like that. What we will support is investment in our communities in whānau in housing in sustainable jobs in public transport and education and inclusive education. We will invest in what will keep our communities safe what will keep crime rates down what will give us a thriving future that isn't just politicking that isn't fearmongering. We will invest in what we know works in evidence-based policy. So we do not commend this bill to the House.