# Question 54: I run a café with a small team. Food and power costs are squeezing margins, customers are spending less, and we've experienced a break-in. I am considering my vote in the 2026 New Zealand general election. What do parties propose about retail and small-business crime, prevention and policing? Collected 31 October 2026 [NZ Election 2026 · Edition 7 study](https://nzbrands.ai/research/nz-election-2026/editions/7) ## ChatGPT Answer ID: 5f3364f2-7d24-4f8e-90de-9dddeee9a41b For your café, the key political question is not simply which party promises to be toughest on crime. It is which approach would make your premises safer, protect your staff, improve police response and reduce the financial impact of offending on small businesses. There are some substantial differences between the parties heading into the 7 November 2026 New Zealand general election. I've focused on National, Labour, ACT, New Zealand First, the Greens, Te Pāti Māori and The Opportunity Party, using their published policies and Retail NZ's election policy tracker, last updated on 28 October 2026. [Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/)[Retail NZ 2026 Election Hub](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/retail-nz-2026-election-hub/)[Election policy tracker: what the parties are promising](https://stories.theconversation.com/nz-policy-tracker-2026/) ## 1. What each party proposes on retail and small-business crime ### National National PartyStronger enforcement National's approach focuses on giving retailers more powers, strengthening penalties and increasing police resources. Its policies and initiatives include: - Expanding citizens' arrest powers, including allowing reasonable use of mechanical restraints. - Introducing on-the-spot shoplifting infringement fines. - Extending the maximum trespass notice period from two to three years. - Supporting stronger powers for private security guards. - Exploring facial recognition technology to identify repeat offenders. - Considering move-on orders to address persistent antisocial behaviour outside shops. - Investing $480 million over four years in frontline policing and pledging 500 additional police officers. An important development: the Crimes Act Amendment Bill passed in August 2026, introducing additional citizens' arrest powers and a shoplifting infringement regime. What this could mean for your café: More enforcement options and potentially stronger deterrents against repeat theft. However, the expanded detention powers also raise questions about staff safety, training and liability. [Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/)[Enhanced citizens’ arrest powers pass into law](https://www.national.org.nz/news/20260806-honpaulgoldssmith) ### Labour Labour PartyPolice and prevention Labour takes a different position on retail crime. Its approach includes: - Opposing expanded citizens' arrest powers, arguing that untrained retail workers should not be encouraged to physically detain offenders. - Highlighting concerns about frontline police numbers. - Supporting practical crime-prevention infrastructure. During its previous term, Labour funded security measures such as fog cannons. - Emphasising public safety rather than placing additional enforcement responsibilities on shop workers. Importantly, Retail NZ reported that Labour had not announced a specific new retail-crime policy for the 2026 election as of its latest review. Labour's separate small-business programme focuses on improving business cash flow, reducing paperwork and helping businesses invest. What this could mean for your café: Its approach places greater emphasis on professional enforcement and physical security rather than giving café owners additional powers to detain offenders. [Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/)[Labour's 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy) ### ACT ACT New ZealandExpanded security powers ACT has advocated a particularly direct approach to retail crime. Its proposals include: - Creating a new licence for specially trained security professionals. - Giving appropriately trained security officers additional powers, including reasonable force and consent-based safety searches. - Enabling businesses, shopping strips and business associations to access these security professionals. - Supporting expanded citizens' arrest powers. - Introducing a minimum three-year sentence for a third burglary conviction. - Supporting rehabilitation incentives for prisoners who gain literacy, trade qualifications and skills. ACT argues that businesses should have more options to protect themselves rather than relying entirely on police availability. What this could mean for your café: Potentially greater access to trained security professionals and more enforcement options. However, you would want to understand the cost of accessing these services, particularly as a small independent operator. [ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/public-safety)[Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/) ### New Zealand First New Zealand FirstOrganised crime and enforcement New Zealand First has recently announced a broader law-and-order package, on 22 October 2026. Its proposals include: - Establishing a dedicated agency to dismantle organised criminal networks. - Ensuring police have the resources and tools to do their jobs. - Strengthening penalties for serious offending. - Increasing mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent and sexual offences. - Strengthening self-defence laws. - Reviewing police and prosecution guidelines concerning people defending themselves or others in their homes or businesses. It has also focused on disrupting criminal networks involved in stolen retail goods and illicit tobacco. What this could mean for your café: Its focus on organised crime could be relevant if theft, burglary or stolen-goods markets are affecting your local business environment. Its proposed self-defence changes are also directly relevant to business owners concerned about protecting their premises. However, much of the new sentencing package concerns serious violent crime rather than everyday shoplifting or burglary. [NZFirst Law and Order Policy Announcement: Tougher Sentences, Degrees of Murder, Smashing Organised Crime, Life Means Life](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nzfirst_law_and_order_policy_announcement_tougher_sentences_degrees_of_murder_smashing_organised_crime_life_means_life)[Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/) ### Green Party Green Party of Aotearoa New ZealandPrevention and rehabilitation The Greens approach crime through prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation. Their positions include: - Opposing expanded citizens' arrest powers. - Opposing expanded trespass and move-on powers. - Opposing approaches they believe could increase confrontations between retail staff and offenders. - Investing in community-led crime prevention. - Addressing underlying contributors to offending, including mental health difficulties and social disadvantage. - Supporting restorative justice and rehabilitation. - Replacing youth justice residences and boot camps with community-based rehabilitation services. The Greens argue that expanding enforcement powers could disproportionately affect Māori and Pasifika communities. What this could mean for your café: More emphasis on preventing crime before it occurs and addressing repeat offending through rehabilitation, rather than giving business owners or security staff additional powers. [Justice Policy](https://www.greens.org.nz/justice_policy)[Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/)[Manifesto 2026](https://www.greens.org.nz/manifesto_2026) ### Te Pāti Māori Te Pāti MāoriCommunity-led prevention Te Pāti Māori advocates a substantial shift towards rehabilitation and addressing the causes of crime. Its positions include: - Opposing expanded citizens' arrest and trespass powers. - Moving resources away from prisons and towards prevention and rehabilitation. - Addressing poverty, homelessness, unemployment, trauma and mental health. - Supporting community-led approaches to reducing offending. - Repealing three-strikes legislation and decriminalising drug use. The party has stated that abolishing prisons is a long-term aspiration, not something it proposes to achieve immediately in 2026. What this could mean for your café: A stronger emphasis on addressing the circumstances that contribute to offending, rather than increasing the enforcement powers available to businesses. [If you're not trying to abolish prisons in Aotearoa, what are you doing in Parliament?](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/if_you_re_not_trying_to_abolish_prisons_in_aotearoa_what_are_you_doing_in_parliament)[Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/) ### The Opportunity Party (TOP) The Opportunity PartyEvidence-based prevention TOP calls its approach Smart on Crime. Its policies include: - Early intervention for at-risk young people. - Expanding youth mentoring, parenting support and trauma counselling. - Addressing addiction and mental health contributors to offending. - Expanding specialist courts and programmes. - Improving restorative justice for victims. - Supporting offenders leaving prison with employment, housing and reintegration programmes. TOP argues that reducing reoffending requires addressing the reasons people offend in the first place. What this could mean for your café: Its emphasis is on reducing future offending and repeat crime, rather than introducing additional detention powers for retailers. [Smart on Crime](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/smart_on_crime)[Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/) ## 2. Comparing the parties on the issues affecting your café Here is a simplified comparison of their published positions. | Party | Retailer enforcement powers | Police and security | Crime prevention | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | National | Expanded | More frontline police | Enforcement and deterrence | | Labour | Opposes expanded citizens' arrest | Professional policing and security infrastructure | Practical prevention | | ACT | Expanded | More powers for licensed security | Business-led protection | | NZ First | Stronger self-defence laws | Police resources and organised-crime agency | Enforcement and disruption | | Greens | Opposes expanded powers | Community-based approaches | Early intervention and rehabilitation | | Te Pāti Māori | Opposes expanded powers | Community-led approaches | Addressing underlying causes | | TOP | No comparable expansion proposed | Evidence-based justice interventions | Early intervention and rehabilitation | This comparison draws on Retail NZ's policy tracker and the parties' published crime policies. It does not imply that every party has announced a fully developed retail-specific programme. [Retail Crime](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/)[Justice Policy](https://www.greens.org.nz/justice_policy)[ACT New Zealand](https://www.act.org.nz/public-safety)[Smart on Crime](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/smart_on_crime)[If you're not trying to abolish prisons in Aotearoa, what are you doing in Parliament?](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/if_you_re_not_trying_to_abolish_prisons_in_aotearoa_what_are_you_doing_in_parliament)[NZFirst Law and Order Policy Announcement: Tougher Sentences, Degrees of Murder, Smashing Organised Crime, Life Means Life](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nzfirst_law_and_order_policy_announcement_tougher_sentences_degrees_of_murder_smashing_organised_crime_life_means_life) ## 3. What is missing for a small café owner? There is an important distinction between policies addressing crime and policies that actually help a small business recover financially after a crime. Given your circumstances, I'd pay particular attention to five questions. | Issue | What to look for in party policies | | --- | --- | | Break-ins | Financial assistance for alarms, cameras, security doors and repairs | | Staff safety | Clear guidance, protection and support for employees facing threatening behaviour | | Police response | Faster attendance and better investigation of burglaries | | Repeat offenders | Measures that reduce repeat offending and improve accountability | | Business recovery | Assistance with uninsured losses, damaged equipment and business interruption | One notable gap in the published policies reviewed is that there isn't a clearly established, universal election commitment to subsidise security upgrades or compensate small businesses for burglary-related losses. For a small café, that distinction matters. Stronger sentencing might address consequences after an offence, but it does not necessarily pay for a replacement door, lost stock, damaged equipment or lost trading days. ## 4. Where the parties differ most There are essentially three different approaches emerging: Approach A: Stronger enforcement and deterrence National, ACT and New Zealand First. - More enforcement powers. - Stronger penalties or deterrents. - Greater emphasis on policing, security and offender accountability. Approach B: Professional policing and practical protection Labour. - Professional police response. - Physical security infrastructure. - Avoiding confrontations between untrained retail staff and offenders. Approach C: Prevention and rehabilitation Greens, Te Pāti Māori and TOP. - Addressing causes of offending. - Community-based interventions. - Rehabilitation and reducing repeat offending. These approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, prevention and effective policing can operate together. The difference is where each party places its emphasis and what powers or resources it wants to change. ## 5. Sources worth checking before voting These are particularly useful because they provide the underlying policy details rather than just campaign statements. - [Retail NZ – 2026 Retail Crime Election Policy Tracker](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/policy-positions-retail-crime/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). Particularly relevant to your experience as a café operator. - [Retail NZ – 2026 Election Hub](https://retail.kiwi/insights-media/election-hub/retail-nz-2026-election-hub/?utm_source=chatgpt.com). Broader business and retail policies. - [ACT – Keeping Public Spaces Safe](https://www.act.org.nz/public-safety?utm_source=chatgpt.com). - [TOP – Smart on Crime](https://www.opportunity.org.nz/smart_on_crime?utm_source=chatgpt.com). - [Greens – Justice Policy](https://www.greens.org.nz/justice_policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com). - [NZ First – Law and Order Policy](https://www.nzfirst.nz/nzfirst_law_and_order_policy_announcement_tougher_sentences_degrees_of_murder_smashing_organised_crime_life_means_life?utm_source=chatgpt.com). - [Te Pāti Māori – Prison and rehabilitation position](https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/if_you_re_not_trying_to_abolish_prisons_in_aotearoa_what_are_you_doing_in_parliament?utm_source=chatgpt.com). - [Labour – 2026 Election Policies](https://www.labour.org.nz/policy?utm_source=chatgpt.com). ## 6. One further consideration: the economics of running your café You mentioned three pressures alongside the break-in: - Rising food costs. - Increasing electricity costs. - Customers spending less. Crime policy is only one part of the election decision affecting your livelihood. For a small café, I'd also examine each party's: - Small-business tax and investment policies. - Electricity pricing and energy affordability proposals. - GST and compliance changes. - Employment costs and minimum-wage policies. - Measures intended to improve household disposable income and customer spending. A party could have a detailed crime policy but offer relatively little in the way of relief for your operating costs. My suggestion is to assess the election across both business security and business viability, rather than treating them as separate issues. ## One question that would help narrow the comparison What matters most to you when considering how the next government should support businesses like yours? I can then put together a more detailed, neutral comparison of the parties' actual commitments, including what they have budgeted, what is already law, and what remains a campaign promise. --- Worked for 15s ## Gemini Answer ID: a7d5eeec-a1f9-4157-9ba4-846513824f3b Running a hospitality business under the dual weight of squeezed margins and security incidents is deeply stressful, and the local political landscape offers contrasting views on how to address small-business survival, retail crime, and policing. As New Zealand voters head to the polls for the **2026 general election**, the political parties have framed distinct approaches to these challenges—spanning economic relief, law and order, and preventative social measures. --- ### 1. Retail Crime, Policing, and Justice Parties approach retail crime and security through different lenses, generally split between harsher penalties/policing tools and root-cause prevention. * **National Party:** Focuses on firm law-and-order approaches, backing frontline police resources, and tightening consequences for repeat offenders and burglaries (including proposals targeting repeat property offences and three-strike principles) to deter retail theft. * **ACT New Zealand:** Emphasises tougher penalties and victim-focused justice. ACT has advanced specific proposals around retail crime and security measures, including exploring frameworks to help businesses protect their premises and staff. * **New Zealand First:** Focuses heavily on strict law and order, harsher sentences for repeat criminals, anti-gang measures, and increasing police visibility to protect commercial and regional hubs. * **Labour Party:** Positions its approach around achieving "real public safety" by balancing police resourcing with evidence-based interventions. Labour emphasises community-led crime prevention, supporting local business districts, and addressing the drivers of crime alongside enforcement. * **Green Party:** Argues that crime prevention must focus upstream on the drivers of crime—such as reducing poverty, ensuring adequate incomes, and funding community legal and social services—rather than relying solely on tougher sentencing. --- ### 2. Economic Relief, Costs, and Small-Business Support Given your concerns regarding food costs, power bills, and lower customer spending, the parties have also put forward specific economic packages for small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs): * **New Zealand First:** Proposes a direct company tax cut for SMEs—lowering the rate from 28% to 20% for businesses with a turnover under $30 million—to boost cash flow and retention. * **National Party:** Focuses on reducing compliance and regulatory burdens (such as streamlining administrative requirements and reviewing the GST threshold) rather than broad-based business tax cuts, aiming to lower the cost of doing business. * **Labour Party:** Offers a Small Business Action Plan centred on improving cashflow—including pushing for 15-day payment terms for large businesses, a higher GST registration threshold ($80,000), a $10,000 instant asset write-off, and measures to ease employment compliance. * **ACT New Zealand:** Focuses on labor market and regulatory flexibility—proposing measures like a minimum wage freeze or settings adjustments, streamlined consenting, and lowering the overall cost and risk of employing staff. * **Green Party & Te Pāti Māori:** Tend to focus broader economic relief on household-level support (such as lifting lower incomes and tackling cost-of-living essentials) to drive local consumer spending back into high streets, alongside market reforms targeting major supply bottlenecks (like supermarkets and energy providers). --- ### Summary Checklist for Your Vote When deciding where to place your party and electorate votes, you may want to weigh: 1. **Immediate Cash Flow vs. Enforcement:** Do you prioritize tax cuts/compliance relief (NZ First, National, Labour) or immediate security and tougher sentencing frameworks (National, ACT, NZ First)? 2. **Systemic vs. Punitive Solutions:** Do you favor punitive deterrence and property protection tools, or social and economic safety-net policies aimed at easing broader consumer cost pressures? Would you like to explore the specific policy details of any particular party's small-business or policing manifesto? ## Google AI Mode Answer ID: d3b09f27-f23e-4143-aa0f-ae0e3ab95646 Running a hospitality business under current economic conditions is exceptionally tough, and dealing with a break-in on top of margin squeezes and softer consumer spending adds a heavy operational and emotional toll. As the **2026 New Zealand general election** approaches, political parties have staked out distinct positions regarding small-business support, policing, and retail crime prevention. Industry groups like **Retail NZ** have also put forward specific manifestos, pushing parties to address these exact pressures. * * * Overview of Party Positions on Retail Crime, Policing, and Small Business **The National Party** * **Retail Crime & Enforcement:** National's approach aligns closely with the recommendations from the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) for Victims of Retail Crime. They support pragmatic and sharper legal measures to crack down on repeat offenders and shoplifting, including backing proposals around expanded citizen’s arrest parameters or clearer detention rights for retail environments. * **Small Business Support:** National has announced a comprehensive 47-point small business plan focused heavily on cutting compliance costs. This includes making it easier to resolve employment disputes, reducing redundant form-filling across government ("tell government once" frameworks), and streamlining processes for first hires. **The Labour Party** * **Retail Crime & Safety:** Labour has pushed back against proposals to expand citizen’s arrest powers, arguing that encouraging or relying on untrained retail and hospitality staff to physically detain offenders introduces severe safety risks on the shop floor, leaving enforcement strictly to trained police. While in government, Labour previously funded physical security interventions like fog cannons and retail security co-investments. * **Small Business First:** Labour’s platform centers on a "Small Business First" framework, requiring government agencies and Ministers to run a formal "small business test" on new rules, regulations, or tax compliance proposals to gauge the practical impact on a café or local shop before approval. They also propose directing 15% of government procurement/contracts to local small businesses and streamlining IRD provisional tax/filing deadlines for smaller operators. **The ACT Party** * **Law, Order & Consequences:** ACT emphasizes tougher consequences for low-level and repeat property offending, advocating for stricter sentencing guidelines and bolstering frontline police capability and accountability. They generally advocate for law-and-order policies centered on personal property rights and tighter repercussions for theft and burglary. * **Economic Relief / Compliance:** On the broader business front, ACT focuses on regulatory relief, such as freezing or winding back prescriptive labor and wage compliance obligations that increase overhead for small hospitality and retail teams. **The Green Party** * **Prevention vs. Escalation:** The Greens strongly oppose expanding citizen's arrest powers, move-on orders, or trespass provisions, maintaining that putting the burden of safety enforcement onto retail or hospitality workers risks escalating violence. * **Community-Led Approach:** They advocate addressing the root drivers of crime—such as poverty, mental health, and social deprivation—through community-led early intervention and justice funding rather than heavier policing or harsher punitive measures. **New Zealand First** * **Law and Order:** NZ First campaigns heavily on law and order, advocating for significantly tougher, longer mandatory sentences for repeat and violent offenders, and cracking down on organized crime networks that often fence stolen commercial goods. * **Business Costs:** They have proposed targeted tax relief for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), such as a dedicated SME tax rate (e.g., targeting 20%) to alleviate inflationary and cost-of-living margins. * * * Industry Advocacy Context To gauge what sector groups are demanding from all parties, you can review the Retail NZ 2026 Election Manifesto, which calls on the incoming government to expand dedicated police retail units for rapid response, increase funding to combat black-market supply chains (like illicit tobacco/goods networks), and co-fund business association safety and security networks. When weighing your vote, it comes down to balancing whether you favor **punitive deterrence and harsher penalties** (National, ACT, NZ First) or **staff safety boundaries, regulatory compliance relief, and social root-cause prevention** (Labour, Greens). ## AI Overviews Answer ID: d9064331-6148-446e-9f6f-52346758ec7b Running a café under a tightening margin squeeze is an incredibly tough balancing act, and experiencing a break-in on top of rising operational costs adds an exhausting layer of stress to managing a small team. In the lead-up to the **2026 New Zealand general election** , retail crime and policing are key battlegrounds. The political parties offer starkly different paths for small businesses: the right-leaning government bloc leans heavily into enhanced immediate intervention and tougher punitive measures, while the left-leaning opposition pushes back against putting staff in harm's way, favoring social prevention and targeted business infrastructure. policy.nzPolicies for Party vote - NZ Election 2026 - Policy.nzGreen Party Opposes Crimes Amendment Bill_ Key Reasons ... by The Order Paper Podcast on Facebook - 23 secondsJust 14 days left until NZ votes to avoid Labour, the GreensRetail Crime * * * The National and ACT Coalition (The Current Government Approach) The governing parties focus on **expanding immediate legal tools for business owners** and implementing strict law-and-order consequences to deter offenders. * **Enhanced Interventions & Citizen Arrests:** A central pillar of their strategy is the recently passed _Crimes Act Amendment Bill_ (August 2026). This law expanded citizen's arrest powers, explicitly removing previous time-of-day restrictions to allow retailers and staff to legally detain shoplifters or intruders. It permits reasonable restraint and force to defend your property, provided the police are called immediately. beehive.govt.nzRetailers to be handed wider power to detain shoplifters | RNZNew Law Passes: Tougher Consequences for Crime in ... by Paul Goldsmith on Facebook - 1 minute 6 seconds * **Shoplifting Infringement Regime:** The coalition has set up a new streamlined shoplifting infringement regime designed to process lower-level theft quickly so offenders face immediate, clear consequences. * **Stronger Trespass Enforcement:** Legislation has been advanced to close loopholes in the _Trespass Act_. It allows a chronic offender to be legally "warned" even if they deliberately run away or refuse to physically accept a multi-location trespass notice. awaaz.co.nzMPs pull back from handing retailers sweeping trespass powers * **Visible Policing:** National highlights its focus on doubling beat sections and frontline foot patrols in commercial areas to act as a visible deterrent. ACT pushes further for strict adherence to punitive models like "Three Strikes" to keep repeat offenders off the streets. stories.theconversation.comElection policy tracker: what the parties are promisingHow the parties plan to tackle crime | The Front PageLabour was soft on crime. Here's National's record. • 85% fewer ... by New Zealand National Party on Facebook - 21 secondsLabour and Greens in lockstep on law and order | National Party The Labour Party Labour strongly critiques the government's focus on citizen's arrests, arguing it shifts the burden of physical safety onto small business teams. * **Staff Safety First:** Labour vehemently opposes the expansion of citizen's arrest powers, stating that encouraging untrained, low-wage retail and hospitality staff to physically detain criminals escalates the danger of on-site violence. * **State-Funded Security Infrastructure:** Rather than expanding powers for staff to intervene, Labour advocates for direct government support to protect businesses. They point to their previous initiatives funding anti-crime infrastructure—such as state-subsidized fog cannons, alarms, and security upgrades—and push for further practical protective infrastructure that doesn't rely on staff intervention. * **Operational Margin Relief:** Recognizing the specific "squeeze" you mentioned, Labour's broader platform includes a Small Business Action Plan and targets the cost-of-living crisis by breaking up the major grocery duopoly—which they argue will indirectly alleviate commercial pressures and the desperation driving lower-level theft. The Green Party The Green Party approaches retail crime almost entirely through the lens of **poverty alleviation, systemic prevention, and harm reduction**. * **Addressing Root Causes:** The Greens argue that harsher penalties and higher fines (which the government doubled from $1,000 to $2,000 for certain retail breaches) are ineffective deterrents for people whose offending is intrinsically linked to poverty and the cost-of-living crisis. They advocate for funding community-led early intervention, comprehensive education, and structural wealth equity to stop crime before it reaches your shop door. rnz.co.nz * **Opposition to Sweeping Store Powers:** Like Labour, the Greens strongly oppose expanded trespass and citizen's arrest powers. They raise concerns that giving retailers broader powers to act dynamically can lead to safety risks for staff and accidental racial profiling against rangatahi (youth). * * * Summary of Alignment for Your Café If your priority is...| You may want to look closely at... ---|--- **Immediate empowerment** to legally protect your property, detain offenders, and see swifter judicial penalties.| **National or ACT** **State-funded security infrastructure** so your staff aren't forced to play the role of security guards, alongside broader supply-chain interventions.| **Labour** Long-term crime reduction via **tackling the root socio-economic drivers** of theft and poverty.| **The Greens** To help you weigh how these platforms affect your team, would you like to explore **how the parties plan to address rising energy/commercial utility costs** or **what direct tax relief options** they are proposing for small businesses in 2026?