National came into Government determined to build a safer New Zealand, and we are delivering on this commitment.
Youth crime has fallen 22 per cent in two years, and the number of young people facing court charges is at the lowest level in 20 years.
The latest Child and Youth Prosecution Statistics show the number of young people (aged 10 to 16) appearing in court in 2013 was 2,487. This is a 51 per cent drop from 5,061 under Labour in 2007.
Last year we announced a new youth crime target, as part of our drive to deliver better public services. Our target is to reduce youth offending 25 per cent by 2017 because we had already exceeded our earlier target of a 5 per cent reduction.
National is taking action and achieving results.
We are also seeing progress in our Family Courts. The Government’s reforms of our family justice system are now in effect [31 March]. Our reforms mark the most significant changes to New Zealand’s Family Court since it was established 33 years ago.
Our reforms will help people resolve their parenting matters outside court and minimise the stress children often face when their parents separate.
We want to ensure the court focuses on those cases that most need judicial expertise, especially those cases involving domestic violence.
The new Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) service, encouraging out of court mediation, will be fully-funded by the Government for those who meet the income threshold for civil legal aid.
We will also ensure FDR is affordable for others, who will pay $897 per case. This amount will be shared by all parties, so an individual will pay less than that.
All couples will have to complete FDR before they file with the Family Court, except in cases of urgency – such as domestic violence, or concerns for the safety of children.
National wants to keep people out of court where we can, and get them to take responsibility for their own actions.
We are trying to change the way New Zealanders think about family law, and putting the welfare of children first.
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