"The Government should not be wasting time and money on yet another review, before telling the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to butt out,” ACT Justice Spokesman Stephen Franks said. “The New Zealand Government does not need any review to know what New Zealanders want for criminal law.

“Fewer excuses, not more. A reformed child and youth justice system that says crime does not pay, that stops telling young people the community is not really serious about hating vile crime. The message must be the same for young and old, that the law does mean what it says. That means holding young bullies and their families accountable. The law should reduce the age of criminal responsibility, not increase the scope for them to thumb their noses at their suffering neighbours, the police and their victims.

“So they should stop shilly-shallying. The Australian government recently told an arrogant UN Committee to push off. Instead ours is scraping and apologising.

“Laila Harre clearly hopes that if she can defer an answer with the official review, current levels of public outrage about vicious kids will die down enough to let her impose what the Committee wants.

“If this Government respected ordinary New Zealanders it would say politely but firmly to the Committee, in a short, and honest response. Forget about it - we are here to represent the interests of New Zealanders. There is no evidence that what you want does anything to improve communities. A number of you come from countries that do not respect the rule of law, and have no understanding of freedom or responsibility. The New Zealand people think little of our political elite's failed experiment with offender centred justice. So there is no way they will stand for even sillier theories pushed by unelected and over privileged international bureaucrats. Don’t bother to argue, unless you come back with evidence,” Stephen Franks said.

ENDS

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