Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Labour moves to toughen up Nat’s boy racer bill

Clayton Cosgrove
Law and Order Spokesperson
MP for Waimakariri

20 October 2009 Media Statement


Labour moves to toughen up National’s boy racer bill

Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove has tabled an amendment to the Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill making it compulsory to confiscate a vehicle permanently after two street racing offences within four years no matter who owns the vehicle.

“The Judith Collins bill is big on talk in terms of crushing cars, but it actually misses a great opportunity in terms of penalising persistent offenders,” Clayton Cosgrove says.

“Labour has said all along it welcomes the Bill’s provision that closes a loophole in the existing legislation by allowing a vehicle owned by a third party to be confiscated.

“That’s good, but this advance is undermined by making confiscation a discretionary matter for the court for the third-party owned vehicles. That’s not closing a loophole, that’s leaving a loophole wide open,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

"Mandatory confiscation should come into effect after two offences within four years, whether or not the boy racer theoretically owns the vehicle or not. The third party owner would be alerted on the first offence that the next time the car is used to do a burnout or a similar offence, then the car will be permanently seized.

“The Collins bill is not about making the law tougher on boy racers. It is about a new clause that allows boy racer cars to be crushed on a third offence. Labour does not support car crushing because innocent taxpayers will end up paying.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“You don’t need the crushing clause --- which is all about creating a photo opportunity for Judith Collins some time in the future --- if the car has already been permanently confiscated after two offences. Crushing may be good for one politician’s ego, but by giving boy racers a third chance, it perpetuates the problem.

“What communities under siege from boy racers need is not egotistical boasting from the minister, but tough action from the courts in enforcing confiscation.”

The supplementary order paper can be viewed at:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/sop/members/2009/0073/latest/whole.html#dlm2456201

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.