Real consequences for crime
I am sure many of you were pleased to read about the new Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill that now has become law and which will to restore some real consequences for crime and take more account of the suffering of victims.
Restoring suitable prison sentences that address the alarming increase in violent crime, ram raids and aggravated robberies over the past few years, will help reduce the number of victims significantly and also reduce repeat serious offending by youth by an estimated 15 per cent.
Our Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith said the culture of crime that undue leniency in sentencing has promoted, has also resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing, and our justice system as a whole. The new law will end this and will also signal to victims that they deserve justice and they are our priority.
The main purpose of the reforms is to strengthen the Justice system by
- Capping the sentence discounts that judges can apply at 40 per cent ;
- Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse;
- Introducing a new aggravating factor in serious retail crime when it is an attack on a solo worker or a family business;
- Supporting the use of cumulative sentencing for offences committed while on bail, in custody, or on parole into one longer sentence;
- Implementing a sliding scale for early guilty pleas with a maximum sentence discount of 25 per cent;
- Amending the principles of sentencing to include information provided to the court about the victims’ interests;
- Adding two new aggravating factors which are aiding or abetting young people or children to offend and posting and glorifying criminal activities online.
Cutting the cost of Consultants
The Government will be able to spend this $800 million on delivering core services to taxpayers in areas like healthcare, law enforcement, and education.
The core public service workforce in administrative or back office roles has decreased by 4 percent in the 12 months to December 2024 but this will not affect the delivery of services because front line roles have been increased in government departments and agencies.
Importantly reductions will not impact on Police, Healthcare workers, Teachers or Defence Force personnel.
Back to basics for the public service
I announced last week that the Government is overhauling the Public Service Act 2020 as part of its ongoing push to get back to basics and deliver value for money to taxpayers.
The New Zealand National Party-ACT New Zealand Coalition Agreement requires the Act to be amended to “clarify the role of the public service, drive performance and ensure accountability to deliver on the agenda of the government of the day”.
“The Public Service Act 2020, implemented by the previous government, added new responsibilities to the core role of chief executives which diminished their responsibility for implementing government policies and making efficient use of taxpayer money. In reality, we need chief executives to follow the laws of New Zealand – like all other employers must.
This will assist the Public Service to be pro-active in making decisions that progress economic growth for the country and to do its best work with efficiency and professionalism for New Zealanders.
The Public Service Amendment Bill, due in July, will clarify the role of the public service and streamline the responsibilities of the Chief Executives.
It is important that we are mindful of the principles of merit-based employment and improved performance management. We also want up-to date tools to improve communications, sharing of resources and collaboration within the public services and to manage risk better.
I am determined to help bring more discipline to government spending and so enable New Zealand’s economy to grow, creating more jobs, higher incomes and money to invest in core services such as schools, hospitals and roads.
My best wishes for the School Holidays and the observation of Easter and the public holidays,
Judith
Hon Judith Collins KC
MP for Papakura
