You’ve got to hand it to National and Simeon Brown for cashing in on public outrage over the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern‘s personal approval of funding of $2.75 million to the Mongrel Mob:
The National Party wants to legislate against public funding heading to community groups with ties to criminal gangs, after condemning a Mongrel Mob drug rehabilitation programme.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has defended her Government’s decision to provide $2.75 million over four years for an eight-week programme that helps Mongrel Mob members with meth addictions in Hawke’s Bay.
Funding for the programme was sought by consulting outfit Hard 2 Reach, or H2R. One of the directors of H2R is Harry Tam, who has previously worked in the public sector and is a longtime Mongrel Mob member.
National Party police spokesman Simeon Brown on Wednesday said the Government’s use of Proceeds of Crime funding for the programme was unacceptable.
He would be putting forward a member’s bill that amended the Public Finance Act, he said, that would require government officials ensure public money does not get spent directly or indirectly on gangs.
He said the only example of such expenditure he was targetting was the H2R programme.
“There’s this one example and, to be honest, it’s unacceptable that this has been approved. The Proceeds of Crime fund was set up to support victims of crime, and not to be funding the perpetrators.
“We are essentially going to make it that all government agencies are required to take all precautions to ensure that none of the funding or contracts that they sign, that any of the money is going to a gang-affiliated organisation,” he said.
The measure would not capture other public money which might be provided to members of gangs, such as jobseeker benefits.
He said public servants would have to conduct “due diligence”, but did not specify what this due diligence would be. A draft version of the bill showed that any person who knowingly directed public money to a gang would be liable for a $10,000 fine.
“If they’re working with appropriate organisations there’d be quite good understanding as to who isn’t, who isn’t [gang associated].”
Stuff
The chances of this Bill being enacted are slim, but the bonus points for shaming the Government and especially the Prime Minister over their gang-friendly policies are huge.
Please share this article so that others can discover The BFD