Simon Power - Achievements in Government

Achievements in Government

During the term of the 49th Parliament, Power was ranked in fourth place within the National Party caucus. He was appointed Minister of Justice, Minister of Commerce and Minister Responsible for the Law Commission. In his role as Minister of Justice, he was responsible for alcohol reform. As part of that process, the Law Commission was asked to undertake a comprehensive review of New Zealand's liquor legislation. After a two year investigation the Commission released a 500 page document titled Alcohol In Our Lives: Curbing the Harm In 2010,. It contained six key recommendations to reduce the death and social destruction caused by alcohol in New Zealand - all of which were ignored in the Alcohol Reform Bill introduced to parliament by Simon Power. The Bill was heavily panned for tinkering at the edges and "failing to use such devices as excise tax or minimum pricing to knock back alcohol consumption".

In 2009, Power rejected suggestions (including executive amnesties) put forward by the Chief Justice, Dame Sian Elias, to reduce prison overcrowding. In 2010, Power rejected recommendations made by the Law Commission over The Misuse Of Drugs Act 1975 which was reviewed by the Commission in Feb 2010. A key recommendation in the report was that cannabis should be made legal for medical purposes but Power opted to keep the "status quo". The editor of the New Zealand Herald stated "Justice Minister Simon Power is not shy of dismissing recommendations out of hand, no matter their source… (He) should not be effectively shutting down that debate before it has even begun."

In 2011 Mr Power also introduced changes to legal aid in an attempt to cut the growing cost of the service after a report by Dame Margaret Bazley found defence lawyers were 'rorting' the system in Manukau. Mr Power was criticised by a group of 17 lawyers who regularly work at Manukau District Court after Dame Margaret subsequently admitted that her assertions were entirely based on anecdote. The lawyers demanded that Justice Minister Simon Power forward any evidence of corruption to the police or Serious Fraud Office for prosecution. Jonathon Temm, president of the Law Society, was so concerned with the haste with which Mr Power was pushing through changes to legal aid, he called for a national debate on the criminal justice system.