Bridges Simon: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Bridges Simon: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:656;Page:5511] 
SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga) 
: 
 It is great to talk about the mighty achievements and the great story that we have to tell in Vote Justice and to say what a great Minister of Justice we have in Simon Power who has been working indefatigably hard—I think that is a word I can use—in this area. Over a period of months now he has been delivering and he will continue to deliver in a number of ways. As a junior member I am very proud to be part of this Government because of the way it is delivering on justice. It is very clear to me that this is an area where the people of New Zealand wanted to see a change an area they believed in and an area where they did not think they were getting results from the previous Labour Government. Ordinary Kiwis felt very strongly that safety on the streets needed to be improved and that violent crime needed to be dealt with and they felt that Labour was not providing the answers. 
The money involved in Vote Justice is serious. The total appropriation was $400.85 million. That is more money than even Chris Carter would know how to spend. It is a lot of money. It is a serious amount of money. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: Be very careful. 
SIMON BRIDGES 
: Oh I am being careful I say to Mr Cosgrove because this is a serious matter that requires care. I am proud of what has happened and I am proud of what is coming. 
In talking about what we have done I think a lot has already been achieved. In the first 100 days a huge amount was achieved. Sentencing for offences involving children was beefed up and that is important. In many communities around this country unfortunately child abuse is still with us. We have taken action on that issue quickly. We have reversed the 2007 changes to the bail laws where Labour—and those members do not like to hear this—had liberalised the laws making it easier for those accused of crimes to get out on bail. We have tipped the balance back in favour of public safety in borderline cases and that is significant. We have introduced police-issued safety orders to protect victims of domestic violence by removing those people who pose an immediate threat to them. That is a significant change and it will have a good effect on the streets. We have introduced the Gangs and Organised Crime Bill to clamp down and to get tougher on gangs. Again that is something that the public very much wanted to see happen. They asked for an effective response during the election campaign and we have been delivering on that. We have introduced the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill which limits parole for the worst repeat offenders. I ask Grant Robertson how good that is; I think it is very good. We have made wider use of DNA sampling in a bill that will come back to the House shortly. We recognise the power of DNA and the need to use it more efficiently and effectively and in a broader way than used by the previous Labour administration including Clayton Cosgrove when he was in Government. 
What else will we do? We have already held a thoughtful thought-provoking conference on the drivers of crime. One thing that came out of that conference quite clearly was that we need to take a new approach to reducing crime and victimisation. Through the work of Minister Simon Power and Dr Pita Sharples we have already seen some very good work being done on that. There was a remarkable degree of unity at that conference and it has been very good to see things coming out of it. In the coming months the Government will consider a number of the priorities coming out of that conference and that is exciting to see. 
The sale and supply of liquor is another key front that the Ministry of Justice will need to be working on and that will be good to see. I think that members on all sides of the Chamber would agree that that is a significant issue. There has been abuse for a long period in the area of the sale and supply of liquor and solutions are needed. The Law Commission has produced a significant work on it and change is coming. 
Legal aid reform is coming. Again that is significant because it is not just about the actors; it is also about victims of crime.