11. Question No. 11—JusticeRIMA NAKHLE (National—Takanini) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 11—Justice11. RIMA NAKHLE (National—Takanini) to the Minister of Justice: How is the Government progressing its commitments in relation to restoring law and order?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (Minister of Justice): On Tuesday we introduced and have now passed legislation to stop taxpayer funding of section 27 cultural reports that proliferated under the former regime consuming more than $7 million out of the legal aid budget. Yesterday we introduced legislation to give police greater powers to search for firearms so that they can keep them out of the hands of serious gang offenders and help keep our communities safe. Today we will be introducing legislation to give police greater powers to deal with gangs who for too long have been allowed to behave as if they're above the law.Rima Nakhle: What is the legislation that the Government is introducing today going to do?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: The Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill does four things: we're prohibiting the display of gang insignia in all public places; we're giving the police the ability to require gang members to disperse from gatherings that disrupt the public; we're creating new non-consorting orders to stop specified gang members from associating; and finally we're amending the Sentencing Act to make gang membership on its own an aggravating factor at sentencing.SPEAKER: Just a small question. So you're asking that question about a bill that's being introduced today. There were no bills introduced today. So the timing is not very tidy on this one. There may be a different way to ask subsequent supplementaries. Hon Grant Robertson: Sorry Mr Speaker point of order. Just in light of that ruling the member appeared to be quoting from an official document—i.e. the bill—and I'd invite him to table it.SPEAKER: No no. You can't invite him to table it. I can ask him if he's quoting from an official document.Hon Grant Robertson: Can you ask him then?Hon Paul Goldsmith: No I'm not.Hon Dr Megan Woods: What is it then?SPEAKER: No. That's something you can speculate on not ask about.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Why is the Minister pushing his wasteful gang insignia ban when his own department and the Chief Science Adviser has said A challenge of this suppression strategy is that there is no strong evidence it works to reduce long-term offending behaviours or eliminate gangs"? It's science.Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Why? Because we don't agree with that analysis. Actually we've seen a 50 percent increase in gang membership under the previous Government and we want to stop that because we believe that law-abiding citizens should be going about their business without being intimidated by gangs.Rima Nakhle: Why is the Government doing this now?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Because the gangs have been recruiting faster than the police over the past six years from 6000-odd in 2018 to 9000 at present—a 50 percent increase. They've been emboldened to take over public places and to continue to be associated with crime. That is why a firmer response is required now.Rima Nakhle: How many actions relating to restoring law and order in the 100-day plan has the Government completed?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Well the Government is committed to a number of immediate actions in the 100-day plan from stopping taxpayer funding for section 27 reports to abolishing the previous Government's prisoner reduction target to taking the first steps to ensure prisoners on remand can access rehabilitation programmes and many other things that my colleagues—Ministers Mitchell McKee and Chhour—have progressed. The first reading of the Gangs Legislation Amendment Bill and Courts (Remote Participation) Amendment Bill today rounds out the 100-day plan.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Point of order. The question was how many and the Minister didn't answer it.SPEAKER: Well it's a little unusual for the Opposition to be worried about a Government question not being answered but the Minister might like to address that.Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: I think the member can count for himself.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Could I ask the Minister as to whether he's received reports that suggest he should listen to real evidence such as is coming out of Western Australia where they've tried exactly what we're doing here now as against this academic trivia that is taken as being evidence in this country now?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Well indeed I listen to a wide range of evidence and of course one of the strongest issues around gang insignia has been the success of the previous bill introduced by the Hon Todd McClay which banned gang patches from schools hospitals and public buildings which has been very successful.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Why is he pressing on with his insignia ban given the advice he received from the Ministry of Justice that the reduction in visibility of gangs experienced by Queensland and Western Australia is simply the product of gangs relocating to other jurisdictions that impose fewer restrictions and New Zealand's unitary nature means there is no alternate jurisdiction to which gangs can relocate?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Well of course we'd be happy if the gangs relocated somewhere else and cleared out of this country and left our people alone.Hon Nicole McKee: What law and order actions has this Government committed to beyond the 100-day plan to protect small-business owners from retail crime?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Well I thank the member for that question. Retail crime has indeed exploded in the previous six years with reported victims of retail crime up by 110 percent. The Government's committed to restoring real consequences for crime which is why as part of the coalition agreement with ACT and supported by New Zealand First we've committed to adding additional aggravating factors during sentencing where the victim is working solo or adjacent to the dwelling. This will add further protections to small-business owners from retail crime and is amongst the many steps that we have taken to rebuild confidence in the justice system and to restore law and order.Hon Dr Duncan Webb: Why is the Minister pushing non-consorting laws rather than following reliable Australian evidence such as the New South Wales Ombudsman's 2016 review of its anti-consorting laws which found they required significant use of police resources without a clear benefit to the public interest?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Why? Because we think it's important to give the police extra tools to deal with gangs in this country given that over the last five years there's been a 50 percent increase in gang activity. And it's time that we had some extra tools to help the police do their job and keep our communities safe.Rima Nakhle: Does the Minister consider it acceptable to disagree with advice from his officials?Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH: Well yes I do from time to time. We don't necessarily agree with every piece of advice that we get from officials here in Wellington and we treat all advice with respect but fundamentally when a Government is elected to deliver on a policy to keep our country safe we will deliver on that policy."