Bindra MaheshMAHESH BINDRA (NZ First): Time and again we have warned this Government against the dangers of this failed electronic monitoring system. We have warned this Government that this system has failed and continues to fail. It has failed 15500 times and over. We have always—always—warned this Government that New Zealanders have been hurt New Zealanders have been raped and New Zealanders have been killed by offenders who have breached this electronic monitoring system. There have been several instances—some very very sad ones; some very tragic ones—where our citizens have been killed by those offenders who have been on electronic monitoring release conditions and have breached those conditions.I think that Government members should rise up now take this challenge and do something about it but they refuse to. Why do they refuse to? Because there are savings in dollar terms in relying heavily on this system. I know for a fact that on average between $77000 and $99000 is spent per prisoner every year. What this Government is looking at is saving those dollars—just buying an electronic bracelet and sending those dangerous criminals out into the communities and hoping that they will be all right—People will be all right. It is an electronic system—nothing will happen. Do not worry about it. You are saving $77000 per year."Public safety is not about dollars. It is about being honest about putting in systems where people can actually feel safe and New Zealanders do not. New Zealand First is the only party that has stood up against this electronic monitoring system because we know for a fact that it has been breached thousands of times. Now with this system coming in there will be an additional 5400 more offenders who will be monitored by it which means that there will be 5400 ticking time bombs in our community. We cannot afford that. When this Government claims that it is all about protecting New Zealanders it does not back it up with actions. This legislation goes against the Government's claims.As was said in the previous speeches at any given time there are about 40 to 50 offenders who have breached their electronic monitoring conditions which means they have actually cut their bracelet and are on the run—40 to 50 offenders at any given time. That costs $2500 per breach. Multiply that by 15500 breaches and you get the answer. However the Government thinks that it is still a cheaper option than keeping those people in prison where the Government has to spend $77000 a year. This Government is all about taking cheaper options not keeping New Zealanders safe. The law enforcement agencies do not know—they do not know—the whereabouts of those 40 to 50 offenders. Probably the offenders' colleagues do but this Government does not. The law enforcement agencies do not know where those people are and those people are ticking time bombs. We have always—always—warned this Government against that.The dangers of relying on this electronic monitoring system is that every time an offender cuts the bracelet or breaches the system by any other method there is a time bomb in the community. Such a time bomb was one Tony Robertson who callously raped and murdered Blessie Gotingco. But for this system—this failed system—Blessie would still be living in our community and Blessie would still be with her family. So we have actually failed her family. We as lawmakers have failed Blessie Gotingco and her family. We cannot afford to have any more Blessie Gotingcos in our communities. I am really really passionately against this system because I know the dangers I know the bottom line and I know the intention behind this electronic monitoring bill being pursued so vehemently.This Government is not very clear about how it is going to manage those 5400 additional offenders in the community. There is not a murmur about any resources being given to the police. There is not a murmur about any additional resources being given to the Department of Corrections. There is no mention of any staff ratios being maintained according to what the additional number of offenders in the community is going to be. There is nothing at all.For the many New Zealanders who have been hurt and who have been raped and killed we stand up. We put New Zealanders first. This Government unfortunately does not. This legislation is all about saving $77000. This legislation is all about saying one thing and doing just the opposite. We have always opposed this legislation and we will continue to do so. Thank you."