Goudie Sandra: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading 
Goudie Sandra: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Third Reading 
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SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) 
: 
 I am pleased to speak on the third reading of the Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2). Firstly I acknowledge the excellent work of the Minister of Corrections the Hon Judith Collins. It has been outstanding. I also acknowledge the previous speaker Rahui Katene. She was quite right when she said there is a lot of work to do. 
The previous Government dragged the chain for 9 years. It dragged its heels and nothing happened until towards the end of that period of 9 years. It was disappointing to see that the minor parties opposed the inclusion of this bill in the legislation that went before the House before it rose for the 2008 election. 
I agree with David Garrett that this is just the start. Let us face it why should prisoners have cellphones? People seriously wonder why prisoners should even have televisions. This legislation takes a giant step forward in making sure that prisoners realise they have done the crime and must now give up the privileges that law-abiding New Zealanders enjoy do the time and do it hard—and rightly so. 
New Zealanders are tired of criminals being seen as pandered to. On numerous occasions I have received as I am sure a number of my colleagues have emails that outline the rather innovative approach that is taken in Arizona. I am sure members are very aware of what I am talking about. Prisoners sleep in tents wear pink overalls and work on the roads in full public view so that they are shamed and do not want to reoffend. They do not get any luxuries. It is no surprise then that reoffending rates are incredibly low in Arizona. Offenders do not want to go back. A huge part of the population here in New Zealand wants to see that sort of tough approach to criminals in this country. 
Another request I get constantly is that we go into contracts with the private sector and contract out prison services to Indonesia or establish prisons on islands. That is the sort of comment that a big sector of the New Zealand public is making in relation to dealing with criminals in this country. New Zealanders have lost their patience on this matter. This bill is an acknowledgment to those people that yes we received that information and yes we have heard their concerns but we will not necessarily take that really hard-line approach. That is why I acknowledged the previous speaker. 
This bill is a start. Changes contained in this legislation reinforce this Government’s tougher approach of clamping down on contraband drugs cellphones and weapons in our prisons and restricting the ability of prisoners to abuse the few privileges they have. Those prisoners should consider themselves lucky. All of these changes are long overdue which is no wonder given that the previous Government had 9 years in office but did nothing. 
Prisoners will now not be able to get on the phone and dial a prostitute. They will not be able to get on the phone and dial a drug ring. Once this bill is enacted we will be able to say: “Tough get over it shape up ship out and don’t come back.” We want to make sure that people in prisons really have time to think about what they are doing with their lives and about the directions they are taking. We want them to be able with further support to get out there and have a productive contributing meaningful life where they get to enjoy the privileges that law-abiding New Zealanders have—where they can feel the wind on their face feel the heat of the sun feel the patter of the rain and enjoy family and friends. That is what we enjoy. They should have the opportunity to do that too but unless they get with the programme they will not and we do not want to make it easy for them. 
My heart goes out to the victims because they never felt they had the justice they deserved under the 9 long years of the previous Government. I will tell members one of the reasons for that. A former Minister stated in this House that he did not denounce criminals. 
Hon Judith Collins 
: Who was that? 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: It was the Hon Jim Anderton. He did not denounce criminals. What is the opposite of denounce? Well the opposite of denounce is condone. If you condone the activity and the actions of criminals you do not support—[ 
Interruption 
] I beg your pardon. My apologies Mr Deputy Speaker; I did not mean to bring you into the debate. 
When a previous Minister says he does not denounce criminals then by definition he condones their activities and their actions. Can any of the members opposite actually understand what it means to victims to hear a statement like that? I ask where the support is in such statements from an Opposition that thinks it is wrong to denounce criminals and that by that definition condones their actions. I think that is absolutely appalling. It is no wonder this bill languished for 9 long years and we did not have the sort of activity that should have taken place during the 9 years of the previous Government—now the Opposition. 
In the last 9 years National has consistently highlighted the unacceptable levels of contraband within prisons. Upon release Rachealle Namana the killer of 23-month old Lillybing claimed that while in prison she had access to a range of drugs including P and to a cellphone on which she downloaded pornography. How about that! Labour is an Opposition that does not disclaim—what was the word I used? 
Hon Members 
: Denounce. 
SANDRA GOUDIE 
: Thank you. I say to members bear that word in mind. The Opposition does not denounce criminal behaviour. 
In 2006 a prostitute was found in the grounds of a Department of Corrections staff college near Rimutaka Prison after her services had been procured by an inmate using a cellphone. But we should not denounce that behaviour should we? Is that what Opposition members say? In 2006 an inmate at Christchurch Prison was sending obscene text messages to women. Did the Opposition denounce that behaviour? No. And in 2006 P was being consumed in the exercise yard at Mount Eden Prison. Did the Opposition denounce that behaviour? No. What is the opposite of denounce? Why it is to condone. 
I would like to get that message very very clearly across to the New Zealand public because I think it gives them a sense of the sort of ideology we are dealing with. That is why it is so important that we get things started move across all fronts and identify the precursors to crime and deal with them. We have to identify how we give support to those criminals to get them out of our prisons and back on to the streets as responsible New Zealand citizens. At the same time if they have done their crime they have to do their time and do it hard.