Borrows Chester: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Borrows Chester: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:648;Page:17568] 
CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) 
: 
 I rise to take a call in support of clause 4 and I reiterate and support the words of my colleague Kate Wilkinson and her praise for Sue Bradford for bringing this bill to Parliament. No doubt many MPs come into the House are here for a while then disappear without leaving much of a trail. Sue is somebody who can point to a number of pieces of legislation and say she has done some stuff while she has been here. It was interesting to note that on this legislation she had unanimous support right across the House. That is something I am sure many of us would like to be able to tick off as having had in our time here. However I doubt that we will. 
The good sense behind this legislation is that it takes women who are frequently in a bad situation—hence the offending or the level of offending they are operating at that sees them go to jail—and allows for some good to happen while they are in prison. We know that the vast majority of people who go to prison in this country are there for a relatively short period of time—less than 2 years—and we also know that under the regime that is operating at the moment it is very difficult for any of those people in prison for less than 2 years to be able to obtain rehabilitation of any kind. 
When a woman goes to jail for offending frequently in the background to that offending is the protection or the support of a child and frequently there is some partner who is taking away from her the ability to support herself and her child. Often there is a situation where a woman is either taking the rap for someone else or offending at the direction of somebody else. 
My colleague Kate Wilkinson made the point that home detention is unavailable in some parts of the country. In respect of this legislation and these facts about mothers with babies going to jail I am quite pleased that it is not available in all places. If home detention were available I wonder where some of these mothers would be. Chances are that they would be in some dingy damp flat with some aggressive partner overseeing them dictating their movements and withholding their money—the benefit or whatever income comes into that household. 
This legislation allows the system to do some good for people in jail for a short period of time. Maybe that is by providing the skills necessary for mothers to be able to care for and nurture their children and set up bonds with their children that they would never have but for the opportunity to be able to hold their children with them until the children are 2 years old while they complete their sentences. 
There are so many intervening factors that make mothers of young babies completely vulnerable while they are out in the community. They are dictated to as to the associations they may have with others they are dictated to in terms of what they can provide for the nurturing of their children and they are dictated to in the activity they are able to be involved in—to the long-term detriment of the relationships they have with their children. 
The purpose of the bill is aimed directly at the best interests of the children. The purpose clause states: “for the purposes of bonding feeding and maintaining continuity of care provided that certain criteria and conditions are met.” Those conditions of course include remaining clean from drug abuse and being prepared to participate in a programme about parenting skills. 
I guess that the only shame is that when judges impose community-based sentences we do not more often see them imposing sentences that ensure that mothers of young babies attend these sorts of programmes. It is a shame that we do not see more young mothers attending such courses while they are on the outside—before they have to go to prison as part of a sentence—and recognising the responsibilities they have in dealing with the young ones who rely on them for life itself. 
I am pleased to be able to stand in support of this clause and to be able to report that National will continue its support for the bill right the way through the process. I look forward to this bill becoming law sooner rather than later.