Newly appointed Justice Minister, Kiri Allan, is already misleading New Zealanders a week into the role, National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“Minister Allan claimed on Newstalk ZB this morning that the Labour Government have not changed anything in the sentencing regime that would mean Labour are lighter than the previous government.

“She is clearly not across the details of her portfolio yet, conveniently overlooking the fact that her Government is in the middle of changing the sentencing regime, by repealing the Three Strikes Legislation.

“Labour is determined to repeal Three Strikes, which gives repeat offenders longer mandatory prison terms if they re-offend three times or more.

“The repealing legislation is almost through the House, despite National’s opposition.

“Bizarrely, Labour has drawn the conclusion that despite the rise in violent crime and gang intimidation, the real issue is that we are too tough on our serious repeat offenders and that Three Strikes has to go.

“Despite what the new Justice Minister says, the Government is changing the sentencing regime, it has set out to reduce sentences for our worst repeat offenders and it is soft on crime.”