Ball DarrochDARROCH BALL (NZ First): Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. It's a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First in support of the Corrections Amendment Bill. I'd just like to concentrate on the departmental report summary and the main points that it brings up but first I'd like to go into the comments made by the National Party in their minority view but also in the House tonight. I can't believe how rich it is coming from the National Party talking about how important rehabilitation is—in fact Mark Mitchell said What really matters is rehabilitation." Over the almost decade that that party was in Government they didn't spend one second on rehabilitation—not one second on rehabilitation. Not only that but every single year they were in Government the prison numbers went up and up to a point where they went to a record level to a point where they got this country into a place where we have to spend over a billion dollars on a prison. When the reoffending rate was skyrocketing when the prison population was skyrocketing they didn't want to mention one little bit about rehabilitation. Now that this side of the House has got the prison population going down—they don't like that because it's working over on this side of the House—they want to stand up and start talking about how important rehabilitation is. It's just a bit rich coming from the National Party. One of the issues with their minority view—and to be fair I wasn't sitting on the Justice Committee so I'm happy to be corrected but words matter in this House. They've made two points. One of them is around rehabilitation which we've spoken about. The other one's about police jail cells. They're saying that both these provisions have been removed from the bill. But if those members over on that side of the House want to actually read the bill that's in front of them nothing has been removed from the bill and they should know that—Mr Mitchell should know that being on the Justice Committee. I'm not actually sure how the National Party minority view got submitted and got accepted because the words matter. Nothing has been removed from the bill. The other thing that I wanted to mention— Hon Mark Mitchell: The Minister doesn't look so sure about that. DARROCH BALL: Read the bill Mr Mitchell. Hon Mark Mitchell: Ask the Minister. Check with the Minister. DARROCH BALL: Read the bill—just read the bill. Hon Mark Mitchell: He's right there. DARROCH BALL: Read the bill—read the bill. One of the other things that the National Party members who have stood up and spoken tonight have been talking about is rehabilitation and they said that all we're worried about is the numbers but what they don't understand is that the prison system and the population of the prison and the prisoners themselves are the end of the justice system. If the National Party had any inkling about the solutions to reducing the prison population they would know that it doesn't hinge on just one piece of legislation in regards to rehabilitation within the prison itself; it's everything that happens before that. There are a number of very important areas that the National Party failed at in Government and their most important ones were the youth justice system the unemployment issues that this country had under the National Party the addiction issues that weren't treated in communities and that led to the prison population and the mental health issues that were not treated or focused on by the National Party and that increased the prison population under that Government. So I think it's very rich the attitude from the National Party about the way that this Government is tackling the prison population. All we hear is criticism from that side of the House when we're trying to reduce the prison population in more than just one way—in more than just one way. The use of prison cells was the second point that was brought up by the National Party in the minority view and I think that it's important for the members opposite to understand the purpose of why that provision was there in the first place—and it still is in the bill—but why the Minister has indicated that he will be putting in a Supplementary Order Paper to remove it. The question is: do we still need that provision in the bill as it stands? The minority view that the National Party has submitted—and they have said it tonight in the House as well—is all about the Minister of Corrections having the flexibility if needed to make the jail cells come under corrections. But do we still need that provision and what's the purpose of the provision? In the departmental report it states that that provision's purpose is to provide the department with extra capacity so it's got nothing to do with the ability of the Minister to have flexibility. It's about the extra capacity. What's already been explained is that the prison population has already reduced. We are being very successful on this side of the House at reducing the prison population—by 7 percent—and that trend will continue. I think that it's important also to look at one of the submitters on this very issue and it's the Independent Police Conduct Authority. They argue that while the practice in a previous term was necessary including it in the bill would actually serve to normalise the practice. That's a very important conversation that needs to be had—and the National Party need to understand this—about the purpose and what the unintended consequences of doing that and including it in the bill would be. It's already been said that there are a number of main changes in this bill and all it is is allowing the prison management and prison guards to do their job with certainty in legislation mostly. I think that one of the important changes is the new disciplinary offences that have been created. One of the most important ones is that it would create an offence for a prisoner to have contact with or attempt to have contact with someone in breach of any court order or direction. Currently as it stands such contact would only be a disciplinary offence if it was offensive threatening abusive or intimidating. I think that's an important inclusion. It's also bringing in an offence about the use of psychoactive substances. So the majority of the actual amendments in this bill are minor ones and don't actually change the current operation. They just give certainty for the prison officers to do their jobs. But there are also some important ones in there and that's why New Zealand First will continue to support this bill."