Hudson BrettBRETT HUDSON (National): Thank you Mr Speaker. Well I'll tell you what when Phil Twyford stands up—he's the architect of the single biggest public policy failure in New Zealand in decades: KiwiBuild—and accuses anyone of delivering a ghost thing that is the richest irony imaginable. But he can actually double down and he did—he did—because he then told us that delivery under him as transport Minister and under this Government is announcing something. Apparently it's something like $10 billion over an amount of years if they're able to hang around and still be Government. We'll do something. Done." I'll tell you what what he's really done is he's stolen—which is really bad—the brand slogan from UNISYS and it perfectly captures his Government: "Imagine it. Done." "Imagine it. Done."—that is this Government in a nutshell. We're going to announce something—"Imagine it. Done. Imagine it. Done."I took the time to read through the Prime Minister's statement and I just want to make it clear I'm not angry; I'm just very disappointed—very disappointed that in two years last year apparently being the year of delivery we tried to imagine it done but it wasn't. So last year in these two years we've seen the economic growth recede from around 4 percent under National to about 2 percent under this Government. Job growth has reduced by around 70 percent from the highs under National of 10000 net new jobs a month. The cost of living is up driven in part by $60 a week average rent increases and of course the fuel excise taxes they've put on. People in New Zealand are going backwards under this Government and it's a terrible terrible thing. They can't deliver their greatest public policy platform KiwiBuild—an abject failure about 300 houses.But I thought to myself "Well how about in safety? Because the Prime Minister definitely mentioned that and public safety." Well there was supposedly a promise of 1800 more police officers and they were going to do this in their first term. We know that it was 1800 additional police officers on the front line to when they took office because both the Minister of Police and the Police Commissioner told parliamentary select committees that that was the measure. Aha! Unfortunately they discovered in the latter part of last year that they had no chance of getting there and the Minister of Police quickly made up this idea that there had always been two targets. Well no one buys that. The Police Commissioner doesn't buy that. The Police Association doesn't buy that. The public of New Zealand don't buy that.So what have they actually delivered? Well according to the Police Association in January they had delivered 974 additional front-line police officers. Well we at least congratulate them for being a little bit over halfway but there's no way they're getting to 1800. Well that's a number. What's a number that we could contrast 974 additional front-line police officers against? Well this is something this Government has delivered over the last two-and-a-bit years: almost 1600 more gang members.Hon Scott Simpson: How many?BRETT HUDSON: That's right—almost 1600 more gang members. Now that's growth in gang members that is over 60 percent faster than the growth in front-line police officers to deal with them. That is delivery. I'm not sure it's the delivery that New Zealanders are looking for but it is consistent with all of the other delivery failures that this Government is responsible for.What do we see these gang members these more than 6000—close to 7000 now—gang members doing around our communities? Well we've had Te Mata Peak taken over by the Mongrel Mob so that locals and tourists are unable to use it. They took that over for a patching ceremony. They scared people away from a local cemetery in Hastings. They have since gone on something of a recent—well I think the public might call it a rampage. Ruatōria the Napier medical centre Taradale Tauranga Manawatū—what do those places have in common? Gang violence involving firearms all in the first two months of this year. They are out of control. The Government can't deliver the police to deal with them and the public are being caught in the crossfire. It is only a matter of time. It is only—Hon Andrew Little: And the member wants to water down the penalties for people who abuse gun ownership.BRETT HUDSON: —a matter of time. So there's a point from Mr Little who doesn't understand the bill he's talking about because the bill he's talking about does nothing about gang possession of firearms. Here's the fact Mr Little—Hon Andrew Little: Why does he oppose penalties for unlawful gun owners? Why is he opposing this? Why is he opposing it?BRETT HUDSON: —in the evidence from Australia in the select committee inquiry on 2016 and 2017—shouting won't help you Mr Little—in the evidence on that inquiry the evidence out of Australia was that almost 90 percent of firearms offences are committed by people who aren't licensed. So putting licensing conditions on gang members or anyone else is going to do nothing to solve this problem. This is a Government of talk and no real action and that's the best way to describe that bill. Thank you Mr Little for raising it. It places all sorts of costs regulation and rules on people who follow the law and it does nothing—nothing—about the people who are threats to public safety.We were ready to go at the election with firearms prohibition orders which would keep guns out of criminal gang members' hands institute a new set of offences with real tough penalties. I tell you it was drawn from the ballot when Chris Bishop was our police spokesperson; that lot over there voted it down. Twice we sought leave to bring it up and prioritise it in this House and they denied it. Now it has been drawn again in my name and on the next members' day they should get a chance to have a go again. Unlike their bill it actually does something about criminal gang use of firearms. Well here's a spoiler alert New Zealand—here's a spoiler alert—I've got five quid that there's no way they'll vote for it. Why—why? Because in their world they prioritise more cost and regulation on people who follow the law. They've been gazing at their navels on firearms prohibition orders for more than two years. More than two years they've done nothing and I tell you what: they quite likely will do nothing. Know why? Because I think they think the rights of gang members are more important than keeping the public safe. It is a travesty but something we can all be used to.So they're not combating the gang members; they're going crazy with firearms. By the way those firearms include semi-automatic firearms. The buy-back was a failure. We knew the numbers were well lower than they should've been because they ignored advice and instead went with an option that they were warned would have lower compliance. So they didn't get them all and in fact there could be as many as 180000 of these things still out there in the wild so to speak. But we know some of them are in the hands of gang members because they've been using them recently and it's only a matter of time before a member or members of the public are truly caught up in that.At the same time they're not dealing—in fact part of the reason because they can't deal with the gangs. We've seen victimisations increase markedly—markedly—under this Government. In the data reported by the police for the end of November 2019 victimisations were almost 280000—almost 280000—in one year a rise an increase of over 18000 in fact over 18400 additional victimisations in that 12-year period because this lot are soft on crime. They're certainly soft on gangs.An increase of more than 13000 victimisations to do with property theft—in Ōhāriu a place that is truly dear to my heart we've got problems all of a sudden now just in the last three months. Car conversions in Newlands—I tell you if you own a Mazda Demio in Newlands keep it under lock and key because they're going like wildfire and not the way you want them to. A spate of break-ins and attempted burglaries around Khandallah. I see on community noticeboards in Churton Park that they're worried because of people they've seen around. In Tawa they stole a complete container load of building equipment and then in broad daylight tried to cut through the roller door at the local ITM hardware store to try to nick what they had upstairs.This is what happens under a Government that has this goal to get people out of prison with no plan to reduce crime and going soft on actually taking care of people that break the law. When they do that they put people's safety at risk. There's actual physical safety with this gang tension and firearms crime going around but when someone is burgled or has an attempted burglary particularly when they are at home it absolutely undermines the feeling of their personal and family safety in their own home and in their communities. It is fundamentally the responsibility of any Government to ensure that its citizens are and feel safe in their homes and in their communities and this lot won't do it because—Hon Andrew Little: Why didn't you do something about the deportees—why didn't you do something about the deportees?BRETT HUDSON: He in particular is more worried about the rights of criminals than the rights of New Zealanders. They are a disgrace."