Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you Mr Speaker. What an absolutely awful speech from the whip of the Labour Party there in regard to my bill which is about prohibiting taxpayer funding for gangs. The mixed messages that we heard from the other side of the House: Oh no party's soft on gangs. No party in this House is soft on gangs." but then we see the actions. It's one thing to stand up and say we're going to be tough on crime and tough on gangs; it's another thing to then put your vote somewhere differently and in a few minutes' time that party will be voting against this piece of legislation. The very principle of this piece of legislation is about saying that hard-working taxpayers' money should not be going towards funding gangs. What we've seen under this Government is an absolute explosion in gang numbers a 40 percent increase in gang membership and New Zealanders see every single day the impact of that increased gang membership on their daily lives. We see the crime which is getting committed on our streets the drug dealing which is taking place the firearm offences which keep increasing and increasing the drive-by shootings. This is something which New Zealanders are seeing and this Government's response or their response is "Well we'll just give $2.75 million to the Mongrel Mob." I've got some news for the Government. Guess what! The Salvation Army ain't the Mongrel Mob and the Mongrel Mob ain't the Salvation Army; I'm not sure if they've quite realised that. This Government is prepared to try to mix what is actually happening here to try to justify a decision whereby $2.75 million from the proceeds of crime fund went to Harry Tam a lifetime member of the Mongrel Mob—something which the vast majority of New Zealanders think is completely unacceptable. We've heard what the Police Association have said about this. They've said this appears to be one of the most lucrative or successful money-laundering operations. Just last year the police took $2 million in Operation Dusk off the Mongrel Mob in the Hawke's Bay and only a couple of months later $2.75 million was given back through this fund to the Mongrel Mob. It's almost like the money was given back with interest. The money was taken with one hand and given back with the other. And the reality is we know this is not going to make a difference.I've run through the numbers in my initial speech. The amount of money—$250000 per participant—is $250000 per participant in this programme while Victim Support get only two or three hundred bucks per person that they help. If this Government's truly wanting to actually help victims of crime then they should be putting their money where their mouth is rather than putting millions of dollars towards a programme which we know isn't going to make a difference. And you know what? There's one thing which actually says to me about the other side of the House that they're not very comfortable with their position—because typically on a bill like this the first person to get up and take a call when it comes to law and order would be Greg O'Connor but where was Greg O'Connor the former Police Association president during this debate? He didn't take a call at all.Hon Mark Mitchell: They've parked him up.SIMEON BROWN: They've parked him up; that's right Mr Mitchell. They've parked him up. The reality is they know deep down this was the wrong decision to make. They knew this was the wrong decision to make. They know it wasn't what New Zealanders wanted and they know that public money shouldn't be going to gangs. But they've bought into the narrative that they want to work with gangs despite the fact that they know the harm that they are causing in our community and New Zealanders will not forget what they are doing. If they were truly actually wanting to make a difference they would have sent this bill to a select committee rather than come up with all sorts of random creative arguments to say that this bill wasn't fit for purpose. I mean one of the pathetic arguments was it doesn't define what a gang member is. It actually does define what a gang member is. It says very clearly that gangs are defined through section 4 of the Prohibition of Gang Insignia in Government Premises Act. I don't know if the Government members are actually aware that the legislation already has a definition of gang membership in New Zealand. The police have a register. This information is not very hard to find and this piece of legislation is fit for purpose and should be supported. The National Party commends it to the House."