1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: Good afternoon. The government's been advised to crack down on 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: cash if it wants to crack down on organized crime. 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: This is a huge problem organized crime. There's an estimated 4 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: one point six billion dollars in criminal profits and just 5 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: four percent is currently being seized by the police. Now, 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: Casey Castello is the Customers Minister and also the Associate 7 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: Minister of Police and with us. Now, hey Casey, Hi, Heather, 8 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: how are you well? Thank you. So what they're what 9 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: they're saying you should do is you should ban cash 10 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 1: wages and high risk industries. Can you do that? 11 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 2: Yeah? So this is and this is the part that 12 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 2: is it's about every mechanism that we can do to 13 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 2: target cash and if we can take away the money, 14 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: we can actually make them in roads. And so this 15 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: is a whole bunch of recommendations about what we can 16 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 2: do and pivot. So there are and this is an 17 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: area I was working in in terms of labor exploitation. 18 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 2: You know, the payment in cash is a right, but 19 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 2: the fact is that this is the sectors that are 20 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: most impacted by exploitation are the ones that we are 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: thinking that you should be able to look at some 22 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: exemptions to protect that because the legitimate nature of business 23 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 2: means that cash is an easy way to avoid detection. 24 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 2: And this is the stuff. It's a series of recommendations 25 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 2: which I think I've told them to be bold, to 26 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 2: think of everything we can do to move faster and 27 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: stronger and more decisively to make an impact. And these 28 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 2: are the recommendations they've come up with, and I think 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: they're doing great well. 30 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: I mean, is that practical to actually say, hey, you 31 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: work in construction or you work in hospital, you can't 32 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: have your wages in cash? 33 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 2: Well, I think this is the part where you start 34 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 2: looking at legitimately, where do people want to be paid cash? 35 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,680 Speaker 2: Like this is you know, we're not talking about you know, 36 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: the majority when we used to start working, we've got 37 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 2: little branding bloats with cash in it. Most people are 38 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 2: operating in bank accounts. And so this is the stuff 39 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 2: that I'm really interested to look at in terms of 40 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 2: protection of workers and assuring that deductions are being done 41 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 2: properly and pay is being managed properly, and that they 42 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 2: are getting all the entitlements. The cash process makes it 43 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: very difficult to confirm those things. And I've done those investigations. 44 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 2: I know that that is a real issue in terms 45 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 2: of tracking that vulnerable people are getting what they should get. 46 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: And if this is leading into making illegismate businesses high 47 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: accountability and hide cash and high profits, then I think 48 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: we should be looking at it. 49 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: Okay, interesting Should police have the ability to watch someone's 50 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: bank transactions for thirty days, for more than one day 51 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: at a time. 52 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: The point point in that space is really looking at 53 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: at the moment, we have the ability to take effectively 54 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 2: search warrants to search a bank account retrospectively. But that 55 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 2: account is now it's one that we're interested in, and 56 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 2: so each day the police are putting another warranton each 57 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: day to look at it. And so therefore it's just 58 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 2: about these very strong grounds as to why you are 59 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 2: able to look at that bank account in the first place. 60 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 2: There's very strong search grounds that you are able to 61 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: get that warrant. What we're saying is rather than have 62 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 2: that we've established the grounds, rather than have a warrant 63 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 2: every day to look at it, maybe that we have 64 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 2: some ability to say, look, we've now established the grounds 65 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: why this bank account is suspicious and to be able 66 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 2: to monitor that for a period of time. Because the 67 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 2: money moves so fast. By the time we have this 68 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 2: order in place, we've lost the money. It's gone and 69 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 2: it's generally leaving New Zealand. And that's what we're trying 70 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 2: to do is look at all of the things that 71 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: we can make it as hard as possible for them 72 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 2: to do business. And it's like, just as we harden 73 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 2: our borders, we're trying to harden our financial borders as well. 74 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 2: And that's whether it's scamming, whether it's drugs. You know, 75 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: we've seen it in terms of how much money is 76 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 2: being circulated. So this is about all the things we 77 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 2: can do to make it as hard as difficult and 78 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 2: as unattractive to do business and our shores. 79 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, Casey, thanks very much, appreciate, Casey Costello. Customers Minister 80 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: also Associate Police Minister. 81 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive. 82 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: Listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 83 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,360 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.