Turei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeTurei Metiria: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 12 November 2015. Volume:710;Page:7967. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Justice: Does she believe proposed laws dealing with deportees including those from Christmas Island will sufficiently uphold the rights of New Zealanders?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Associate Minister of Justice) on behalf of theMinister of Justice: Yes. As the Minister has previously stated the intention of the returning offenders legislation is to mirror as closely as practicable the existing framework that applies for the monitoring and supervision of offenders who have served their sentence in New Zealand. Our primary concern is to uphold the rights of law-abiding New Zealanders who live in the communities that these offenders will be returning to.Metiria Turei: How many New Zealanders are currently detained on Christmas Island?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I think it is approximately a couple of hundred but I would need to check that to be precise.Metiria Turei: Of those New Zealanders currently being detained on Christmas Island how many have convictions for rape or for murder?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I cannot give the member numbers on behalf of the Minister. What I can be very clear about though is that on the most recent advice to the Minister from yesterday we know that there are sexual offending indecent treatment or dealings with children under 16. We know there is manslaughter. We know there is robbery and some very serious assaults. I agree with what Minister Dutton of Australia has said that it is a—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question was answered at the start when the Minister said he did not know.Metiria Turei: Of those New Zealanders currently detained on Christmas Island how many have finished serving their sentence and are being detained solely because they are awaiting deportation?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well I note the primary and I do not have that detail to hand.Metiria Turei: Of those New Zealanders currently being detained on Christmas Island how many are detained not because of a criminal conviction but because their visa was revoked on character grounds?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Again I note the primary. I do not have those numbers.Metiria Turei: Given that the Minister has released some information about the convictions of some of the detainees when will she release the rest of the information about the convictions of the detainees?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The situation is reasonably clear. There are legal reasons in Australia and I think in New Zealand why that information cannot be provided. In any event it is quite clear that the information has been provided to the New Zealand Government on the basis that it is not disclosed in full—that it is provided in confidence and not for public dissemination.Metiria Turei: Is the Minister concerned that the laws governing the deportation of New Zealanders explicitly state that the rules of natural justice do not apply?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: If the member is referring to the proposed legislation I think that it is a very fair piece of legislation—in that what it is seeking to do is mirror as far as practicable what happens on release from prison in New Zealand.Metiria Turei: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would ask your advice. The Minister has misunderstood my question. I would seek your indulgence to ask the question again in a way that would provide him with more information because he is definitely—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I will allow it in this case but can the member in asking the question be clear whether she is talking about the proposed law because that would help?Metiria Turei: No that is what I think the Minister misunderstood.Mr SPEAKER: Well I do not blame the Minister for being confused because I wasequally confused.Metiria Turei: Is the Minister concerned that the laws governing the deportation of New Zealanders from Australia contain explicitly the statement that the rules of natural justice do not apply to those New Zealanders?Mr SPEAKER: Again in so far as there is ministerial responsibility the Hon Simon Bridges.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The Minister does not have responsibility for Australian legislation.Metiria Turei: How is it that the New Zealand Minister of Justice is not concerned that New Zealanders set for deportation from Australia are being deported under a law that explicitly states that the rules of natural justice do not apply to them?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Simon Bridges in so far as there is ministerial responsibility.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The member is entirely misinterpreting what was said. I have never said on behalf of the Minister of Justice that I am not concerned. It has been made quite clear in this House a number of times that this Government disagrees with Australian policy on this—that we have advocated for New Zealand detainees and importantly for the victims of crime. As I made quite clear in the primary answer though our primary concern is the rights of law-abiding New Zealanders whom offenders return to here in New Zealand.