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Judith Collins - Source: ONE News -
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This week Q+A features new Corrections and Police Minister Judith Collins. It wasn't a hard choice to invite her on the programme. She's made a heck of a first impression as a first-time minister.
After threatening to crush boy racers' cars she became the first new minister to earn a nickname, Crusher Collins.
Some say she's shown this government's tough approach to law and order; the bad cop to Justice Minister Simon Power's good cop. Others say she's got over-excited in her powerful new position and needs to take a deep breath.
She went to the brink with the Corrections boss Barry Matthews, refusing to express confidence in him as a CEO, and twice had newspapers predicting his sacking or resignation within 24 hours.
No lesser commentator than John Armstrong was sure that Collins' "raw power and tactical guile" had got shot of Matthews after the Auditor-General found that Corrections was failing to follow its own procedures in more than half the cases studied. He wrote: "Collins now has too much political collateral invested in Matthews being sacked for her to pull back and accept that he stays in his job. The longer he clings on, the more embarrassing it becomes for her."
But Matthews out-manouevered Collins, remaining in his job and probably ensuring a decent budget increase in the process.
Armstrong was left to concede, "The 'crusher' crushed? Well, for the time being at least." Paul Kuchenbecker, the father of Karl Kuchenbecker who was murdered by parolee Graeme Burton, put the boot in, saying Collins was "all bark and no bite", after she failed to remove Barry Matthews.
Collins had to be embarrassed by her inability to flenagle Matthews out of his job, but she was soon making headlines again as the government's point person on private prisons. Collins believes our prison system will benefit from "private sector initiative and know-how, but internationally the jury is out on private prisons. In some countries they're cheaper, safer and recidivism rates are lower than state-run prison. In other countries the opposite is true.
But privatisation is only one contentious issue amongst many. National plans to build yet another new prison. Is that tough or a sign they've given up. What about over-crowding, our high re-offending rate and the fact that for the past decade New Zealand has the second highest prison population per capita in the western world, behind only the jail-happy Americans? Surely more people in prison is a problem, not a solution.
Guyon Espiner will interview Collins at length about exactly what she has planned.
Our second guest - or rather, guests - are Parliament's Speaker Dr Lockwood Smith and his fiancee Alexandra Lang. Smith seemed reluctant to be Speaker and some saw his appointment to that chair rather than one on National's front bench as punishment for his comments about the small hands of Asian fruit-pickers during the election campaign.
But Smith has already put his mark on the role, demanding the ministers answer questions not just with broad-brush answers, but with specific responses to specific questions. His former colleagues are said to be less than impressed.
A confirmed bachelor until now, the veteran MP who has spent 25 years in the House, is planning to wed Lang later this year. Paul Holmes will talk to the man behind the gavel in our second in-depth interview of the morning.
Our panellists are union boss and former Alliance MP Laila Harre
and former New Zealand First MP Ron Mark.
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Q+A - TV ONE, Sunday at 9am and live streaming on
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentYady said on 2011-11-28 @ 09:41 NZDT: Report abusive post
the country is full of complacent morons who love to complain but dont get of there arse to vote.... cant beleive where this country is headed, where just like the yanks, maybe worse because we think we are better than them....shame shame shame..... who can blame us for moving to aussie... the nz government is for the nz rich list, they dont care about the poor..... shame shame shame..... and the media should be held accountable.... they done this... i want to hear the tea tapes!
Yady said on 2011-11-28 @ 09:35 NZDT: Report abusive post
those who didn't vote should be ashamed of themselves.... this country is full of moaning couch potatoes..... just what national needed... shame shame shame....
cheekychick said on 2011-11-27 @ 10:03 NZDT: Report abusive post
Michelle Boag calling Winston names is disgusting and offensive Jan
troberts88 said on 2011-11-27 @ 10:00 NZDT: Report abusive post
Yay John!
cheekychick said on 2011-11-27 @ 09:28 NZDT: Report abusive post
Winston Peters is needed in Parliament to keep them honest. Janice