National all for victims….now
March 31, 2008As we’ve previously noted on this blog, National has done sweet FA about victims of crime whenever it’s in power. In opposition, National loves to play up law and order and pretend it’s the passionate advocate of the disempowered victims. However, National’s record tells another story.
Over the past thirty years, National has done virtually nothing to help victims of crime. It was Labour not National that introduced New Zealand’s first victims’ legislation in the late eighties. And it was a Labour-led government that replaced that old legislation a few years ago.
So, why oh why would anyone with half a brain see John Key’s latest pronouncements about victims as more vacuous pre-election posturing?
It’s the Labour Party and the current government that has the record for trying to help victims. Not National. The only thing National has ever done for victims is to talk tough about retribution against offenders. But even then, it has been Labour and its coalition partners - not National - who strengthened New Zealand’s sentencing framework.
And look at what National is proposing (let’s face it, with their record they will never ACTUALLY do anything), among the gems:
- Impose a $50 additional fine on offenders as a levy for victims. OK, sounds nice - but what about the double jeopardy? The current median fine imposed by courts for the most common offences are surprisingly low - hundreds dollars. If you don’t think judges will adjust sentencing to reflect the additional imposition of a $50 levy - think again. A 2003 Justice study shows how Judges to exercise considerable discretion in imposing fines - taking into consideration the offender’s circumstances and ability to pay a fine. Moreover, the current law requires judges to consider any reparation paid to victims before sentencing. If the victim is going to receive a chunk of cash would this not be considered to be reparation? In short, National looks to be promising to reduce the average sentence imposed on offenders. Hmmmm….doesn’t sound like a vote winner to me.
- Tweak the Victims Notification Register so that victims who don’t want to be contacted about an offender can still have their broad interests considered. Problem is, victims who don’t want to have any further interaction with the justice system simply won’t keep their address details up to date. So, how the hell would anyone know whether or not they’re living in an area where the offender is planning to be released? This minor tweak is not really offering a heck of a lot to victims. By the way, just to emphasise the point, it was Labour that brought in the legislation to create the register and Labour (and partners) that updated it. Not National.
- Create a new victims unit in Justice. This is in keeping with the select committee report into the victims’ legislation. The government is already working through the report’s recommendations. Besides, I thought National was opposed to adding MORE bureaucrats into ‘non-frontline’ jobs in Wellington? I suppose he’s probably not too worried about that because he (or at least his dimwitted Research Unit) will have realised that what we’re talking about is two or three people. So, yeah, it’s probably not an overt dollop of hypocrisy in terms of the growth of bureaucrats - but it’s also hardly a major brave initiative. Moreover, it’s not even National’s own idea.
In his press release, Key says, “[He] wants victims of crime to feel supported after years of lost promises and neglect by Labour, which has a record of failure in this area.” How about a little honesty. Let’s name National’s last piece of legislation for victims and then let’s talk about records of failure and lost promises. What a friggin hypocrite.
