Address to Women's Refuge Annual Appeal Launch

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

I'd like to acknowledge fellow MPs Peter Dunne, Charles Chauvel and Hekia Parata, Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, Judge Boshier, and Women's Refuge chief executive Heather Henare for being here today for the launch of the Women's Refuge Annual appeal.

I note that this year's theme for the appeal is Living with Fear.

I greatly admire the work you do.

I'm pleased that I can stand here today and talk about what the Government is doing to help to alleviate, at least in part, that fear.

In particular, I want to talk about the new on-the-spot police safety orders for victims of domestic violence, which came into effect on July 1.

These orders give police the power to remove a potentially violent person from the home for up to five days, in situations where there are no immediate grounds for arrest, but where in their judgement there's a likelihood of further violence occurring.

These safety orders provide a ‘cool down' period for both parties, giving the victim time to consider their options, while making it clear to the offender that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

I see these orders as a vital tool because they are designed to stop domestic violence from escalating and they tackle the problem before it's too late.

In addition to these new orders, courts are now able to issue protection orders on behalf of victims at sentencing.

I'm both saddened and pleased to report that in the first two weeks police issued 126 safety orders and police estimate they could make around 20,000 of these orders each year.

Obviously I'm saddened that they have to be issued at all, one is one too many, let alone 126. But I'm pleased that we have been able to use this tool to defuse potentially serious problems and make our homes safer places.

Work is also progressing well to bring court staff up to speed with the changes, with more than 550 people now trained in the new legislation and the corresponding court processes.

I would like to give a huge thanks to the Women's Refuge for their support for the on-the-spot orders.

And, I want to repeat that the Government is willing to listen to help address your concerns, and the concerns of other NGOs, if these orders are putting a significant strain on your resources.

July 1 also marked the introduction of the $50 levy for all convicted offenders at sentencing.

This levy is expected to generate $13.6 million for victims of crime in its first four years.

All of that money is going towards a range of initiatives for victims,  including more financial assistance for homicide victims' families, and victims of sexual violence, 18 specialised sexual violence court support workers, four new regional homicide support workers, and more comprehensive information resources for victims.

July 1 was a significant milestone for victims and the Government's drive to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system.

But that work is not finished by any means.

Early next year I intend introducing a new Victims Rights Act, and the Ministry of Justice is currently analysing public submissions on issues including censorship of victim impact statements, victim-prosecutor communication, and the Victim Notification System.

I'm also determined to change the way our courts treat child victims and witnesses and the victims of sexual violence. I am deeply concerned about how our adversarial court system is re-brutalising our most vulnerable people, and I'm considering big changes in this regard. You can expect me to be saying more on this shortly.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Government is committed to putting victims of crime first, but we recognise that we cannot do that without the help of NGOs like the Women's Refuge.

I wish you well for your annual appeal and I look forward to continuing to work with you to support our most vulnerable people.

Thank you.