National's Justice spokesperson Wayne Mapp wants to know why Phil Goff is avoiding meeting Veronica Cardno, the mother of murdered teenager Karla Cardno.

"Mrs Cardno and her support group have been trying to meet Mr Goff but they have been fobbed off while he frantically tries to find answers to their inevitable questions.

"I met with the group today and they expressed their anger at being ignored by Mr Goff. Astoundingly, when they contacted Mr Goff's office to arrange an appointment, they were told to call back in three months when the Minister might be able to allocate time to see them.

"This is a Minister who claims to be listening to the people and says he will act to provide tougher sentences. As is usual, his actions do not back his rhetoric.

"It is absolutely clear that murderers like Paul Dally should not be released into the community. There are too many examples of violent offenders re-offending such as Walter Te Huia who murdered a solo mother and her daughter, and then after ten years imprisonment, committed aggravated burglary using an axe. Even more alarmingly, convicted murderer Dennis Luke was released only to murder again. He only received a 14-year non-parole period for his second murder offence.

"New Zealanders are crying out for action so that violent criminals serve time that fits the crime. The overwhelming support New Zealanders have shown to Mark Middleton illustrates the frustration in the community about the length of sentences given to violent criminals.

"My member's bill would put an end to automatic parole for violent criminals. If the Government won't support it when it gets drawn from the ballot I hope they at least steal one of National's ideas again so that New Zealanders feel justice has been done when violent criminals are sentenced," Mr Mapp said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>