1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,520
Speaker 1: Very so far, our senior political correspondence in the studio

2
00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,160
Speaker 1: right now, Hi Barring, Good afternoon, Heather. They the judges

3
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,080
Speaker 1: are being pulled into line, aren't they, or are.

4
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,200
Speaker 2: They what you know, they're being sent a very direct

5
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,840
Speaker 2: message from the government to pull your socks up. We've

6
00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,480
Speaker 2: written the laws now we expect them to be meted

7
00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,680
Speaker 2: out and the judges, as we know, haven't been doing that.

8
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,920
Speaker 2: I like the capping the sentence discount that judges can

9
00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:26,600
Speaker 2: apply it forty percent.

10
00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:28,880
Speaker 1: Even that's a lot, by the way, I know, of course.

11
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,160
Speaker 2: It's a lot, but at least we don't have those

12
00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:33,800
Speaker 2: reports that they used to fund on the tax by

13
00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:38,680
Speaker 2: for people that had a dreadful upbringing, and that's what

14
00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,320
Speaker 2: their lawyers I would have thought afore to explain that

15
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,280
Speaker 2: to the court, not for the taxpayer to spend money

16
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,080
Speaker 2: on people to go out and look at it. But look,

17
00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,720
Speaker 2: the judges have been told they have to take the

18
00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:55,080
Speaker 2: victims impact into an account and that was part of

19
00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,280
Speaker 2: the coalition agreement between National Act and the New Zealand

20
00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:03,080
Speaker 2: first part. So they're all happy about that. Paul Goldsmith,

21
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,120
Speaker 2: he told Parliament today it's time the judiciary knew that

22
00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,920
Speaker 2: Parliament serious about offenders suffering and consequences of their actions.

23
00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,240
Speaker 3: In recent years, we have seen the courts imposing fewer

24
00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,480
Speaker 3: and shorter prison sentences despite the increasing seriousness of cases

25
00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:23,000
Speaker 3: coming before the courts. A recent sample of sentences showed

26
00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,000
Speaker 3: eighteen percent of cases received a total discount greater than

27
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,920
Speaker 3: forty percent, some as high as sixty nine percent. Large

28
00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,000
Speaker 3: discounts tell victims that we are more concerned about the

29
00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,639
Speaker 3: offenders than in ensuring that they see justice. Everyone needs

30
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,199
Speaker 3: to know that there are real consequences for crime.

31
00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:46,600
Speaker 2: You say here here to that, But I'll tell you

32
00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,000
Speaker 2: what it's. The downside to it all is, of course,

33
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:54,160
Speaker 2: the prisons. And this these suite of measures that the

34
00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,040
Speaker 2: government's announced today are expected to add between fourteen hundred

35
00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,480
Speaker 2: and eighteen seventeen hundred and thirty prisoners each year over

36
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,280
Speaker 2: the next ten years if they're implemented in the way

37
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,359
Speaker 2: the government wants. But and that'll cost us the taxpayer

38
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,440
Speaker 2: one hundred and sixty five million dollars to almost two

39
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,760
Speaker 2: hundred million dollars a year. But look, the point that

40
00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,960
Speaker 2: Paul Goldsmith make makes that if the public feels safer,

41
00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:21,760
Speaker 2: surely that's a price that we have.

42
00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:23,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, well you'd have to quantify the damage that these

43
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,680
Speaker 1: clowns are doing while they're out and about, and it may,

44
00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,560
Speaker 1: in fact be better to keep them in the jail.

45
00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,160
Speaker 2: Many doubters would have been converted. I would have thought

46
00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,600
Speaker 2: seeing that poor dairy owner knocked on the head with

47
00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,480
Speaker 2: a hammer by a teenager.

48
00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 1: The other night. Hey, so is there more money coming

49
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:41,880
Speaker 1: for provincial infrastructure? Well? Yeah.

50
00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:43,919
Speaker 2: The Greens have been having a go at the government

51
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,359
Speaker 2: yet again over its fast track proposals, and the Government's

52
00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:51,080
Speaker 2: been in the House defending them. They're upset at the

53
00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,280
Speaker 2: potential conflicts of interest that three ministers will sign off

54
00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,560
Speaker 2: the projects, but the Government has always argued that the

55
00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:02,880
Speaker 2: x berts will make the decision and they'll simply be

56
00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,000
Speaker 2: signed off by the ministers and it'll be a transparent,

57
00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,160
Speaker 2: transparent procedure. The Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, he was

58
00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,360
Speaker 2: at his lyrical best in Parliament espousing the virtues of

59
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,440
Speaker 2: spending money in the provinces and gave an indication I've

60
00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,760
Speaker 2: got to say hither that mores is on the way shortly.

61
00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,000
Speaker 3: In recent years we have seen the courts imposing fewer

62
00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,320
Speaker 3: and shorter prisons we.

63
00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:33,040
Speaker 4: Are continuing to support not only aquaculture, not from the

64
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,880
Speaker 4: psychedelic crowd over there. Not only will the Regional Infrastructure

65
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:42,160
Speaker 4: Fund improve opportunities in regional New Zealand, which will be

66
00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,880
Speaker 4: announced in the very near future in July, it will

67
00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:51,040
Speaker 4: also ensure that infrastructure, where appropriate, is modernized and renewed

68
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,320
Speaker 4: for the inevitable growth of the mining sector.

69
00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,360
Speaker 2: He's going to dig it in a psychedelic lot over

70
00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:03,360
Speaker 2: the other side there. I mean, you know, you've got

71
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,080
Speaker 2: to give it to Jones. He's entertaining.

72
00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,880
Speaker 1: So you know, despite all the dystopian warnings that there

73
00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,760
Speaker 1: were craps in the government over the agree to disagree

74
00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,160
Speaker 1: clause being triggered, listening to Winston Peter's defender's position today,

75
00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,240
Speaker 1: he's actually seems quite rational and calm about and I.

76
00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,560
Speaker 2: Think it's absolutely legitimate that he's defended the position because

77
00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,680
Speaker 2: I did a bit digging. And Tony Blakeley is a

78
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,800
Speaker 2: very well respected epidemiologist, an Australian professor, no less, but

79
00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,720
Speaker 2: you'd have to look at his independence and say that

80
00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:39,600
Speaker 2: given the fact that in fact he provided a key

81
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:44,679
Speaker 2: advice to policymakers and advisors in our response to COVID,

82
00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:51,799
Speaker 2: including Ashley Bloomfield, the Professor David Skegg, both of whom

83
00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,560
Speaker 2: you've used a lot on this program over the years,

84
00:04:54,560 --> 00:05:00,080
Speaker 2: Heather and other health and policymakers. Blakely has also just

85
00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:06,080
Speaker 2: disclosed close, close collegial relationships and friendships with many of

86
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:10,240
Speaker 2: the key players in the New Zealand COVID response. Well, sorry,

87
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,400
Speaker 2: that's like daubing your mates in it if you don't

88
00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,520
Speaker 2: like what they did. And that's I think pretty unlikely.

89
00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,640
Speaker 2: And that's why Peter says, look, we need we need

90
00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,360
Speaker 2: another inquiry whether you sack this slot, because they've done

91
00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:28,400
Speaker 2: a lot of work at the expense of the taxpayer

92
00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:28,920
Speaker 2: so far.

93
00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:35,240
Speaker 1: But was Winston's argument was that there were three commissioners

94
00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:40,120
Speaker 1: totally Blakely and is it Whitehead and he parta and

95
00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,000
Speaker 1: when heki parata quit actually should have called it off

96
00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:47,880
Speaker 1: and he says, legislatively you should have called it off.

97
00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,360
Speaker 2: Well, they certainly could have got out of it then,

98
00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,239
Speaker 2: but they didn't. You know, there's another Royal Commission reported

99
00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:57,839
Speaker 2: back today and that's the Historical Abuse and State and

100
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,640
Speaker 2: Faith based here that's gone to the Governor General. That'll

101
00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,040
Speaker 2: be tabled on the House on July the twenty fourth,

102
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,960
Speaker 2: and you have to say, well, certainly it's been said

103
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,600
Speaker 2: that it's the end of the largest and most complex

104
00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,560
Speaker 2: inquiry ever held in New Zealand and so many people

105
00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:13,240
Speaker 2: appeared before.

106
00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a tough one, Barrie, thank you very much,

107
00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,040
Speaker 1: appreciate it. That's Barry so Per, Senior political correspondent.

108
00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,840
Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to

109
00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:24,960
Speaker 2: news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow

110
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,719
Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.