KEY POINTS:
Anyone who breaks the law will have to pay $50 towards compensating victims of crime if the National Party wins this year's election.
The flat $50 fee, announced by party leader John Key yesterday, will apply equally to everyone convicted in a court, from minor traffic offenders to murderers.
It will pay for victims' costs, such as travel to court and counselling, but will not include reparations for the costs of crimes themselves. Judges will continue to order the criminals to pay such reparation costs.
Media were given just over an hour's notice of the Auckland policy announcement, prompting Justice Minister Annette King to allege that it was rushed together to capitalise on a public meeting in Taupo last night about violent crime.
But Mr Key said the announcement was part of a series on law and order that would be spread through the year.
"We've had this scheduled on our timetable for some time," he said.
The nine-page "victims' rights" policy includes five points:
* The $50 levy on all convicted offenders "to assist with expenses faced by victims of serious crimes that are not covered by ACC or other state help. This could extend to help with travel to court and Parole Board hearings, additional counselling, etc".
* Confiscate any compensation paid to prisoners for abuse or unfair treatment in prison and divert the money to the general victims' expenses fund if not claimed by individual victims under an existing 2005 law. Only $19,961 out of $35,082 paid to prisoners since 2005 has been claimed by the prisoners' individual victims.
* A new Victims Services Centre in the Justice Ministry to co-ordinate victim services.
* Upgrade the victim notification register, used to notify victims when offenders come up for parole or other changes. National would create the option of a "silent" register simply recording victims' contact details so that agencies can take them into account in decisions, but not actively notify them of developments.
* Review the Victims' Rights Act 2002 to strengthen the ability to make a victim impact statement without censorship, extend victims' rights to be heard in the Youth Court and increase information to victims.
Based on 100,000 convicted cases in 2006, the $50 levy would raise $5 million a year - roughly doubling the $5.4 million a year the Government currently pays to Victim Support.
The $50 would be levied only once on offenders facing multiple charges.
Mr Key conceded some offenders might not pay the levy, but said it was being set at "a reasonably modest amount" to ensure most people paid it, regardless of how serious their crime.
"We are not going to have a sliding scale.
"This is a sum that is reasonable to bear, that is consistent with the UK, where it is £15 [$37.65]," he said.
"We make no apology for saying we take a tougher stance on law and order.
"If you break the rules of the land, that comes with a number of penalties and costs."
But Mrs King said the levy would raise less than $5 million after the cost of collecting it, and dismissed it as "a bizarre piece of gimmickry".
But Green MP Nandor Tanczos, who initiated a parliamentary inquiry into victims' rights in 2006, said it was great to see National picking up on many of the recommendations.
