United Future
Marc Alexander

Alexander: United Future looks after the children

"That clause alone is going to stop young lives being ruined," he said.

"We forever have people saying no more ambulances at the bottom of cliffs. United Future built a fence at the top of this cliff for our children’s safety, and I have to applaud the Justice Minister Phil Goff for seeing its worth and backing it," he said.

"Basically, the first step towards a sexual crime against children will now be a crime in itself; the process of grooming a child for the purposes of sexual abuse is a crime.

"We can now deal to the predators before they have ruined a child’s life and that is a huge and profoundly important change for the good. Indeed, that is a change that I have to say I will be forever proud of.

"This is about establishing a proactive criminal justice system that not only is victim-focused, but looks to actively stop new victims being created."

Mr Goff congratulated Mr Alexander in Parliament today for being the architect of the change.