Ball DarrochDARROCH BALL (NZ First): It's hard not to go past the real reason why the National Party aren't supporting this—it's because they need to be tough on crime. That's why they're not supporting this bill. But the problem with asking any 12 National Party members what tough on crime" means: they're going to have 13 different answers. Well there's no definition of what tough on crime is but they've got to hold up this rhetoric you see—they've got to hold this rhetoric. I'll tell you why I say that: it's because they stand up and they start complaining about everything and in fact they agree with most of what was in this bill. [Interruption] They agreed with most of what was in this bill. SPEAKER: Order! Mr Bennett one more time and you'll be out.DARROCH BALL: I'll try and make that happen. They agreed with actually most of what's in this bill and they get up and they say that and then they start talking about the fact that rehabilitation is not in the bill. But I didn't see one Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) come across the table or even discussions in the Justice Committee about making any amendments—about making any amendments—to this bill. Hon Dr Nick Smith: Yes there was. DARROCH BALL: No there wasn't. The Justice Committee did not come to any consensus whatsoever and especially from the National Party about making any amendments to this bill. So where's the proactive nature of wanting to ensure that our corrections system is working correctly just like apparently it was under the National Party? Hon Kris Faafoi: All kōrero no mahi.DARROCH BALL: All kōrero no mahi.SPEAKER: OK. Right. I'm now being harder on the member than I was on Mr Mitchell. He's had a minute and a half to get to what's in the bill as it emerges from the committee stages of the House. That's what he's going to talk about not a general policy discussion about corrections justice or anything similar. I'll reiterate the comment that I've made to members previously: if they don't think there's a 10-minute speech in the bill sit down well before then. DARROCH BALL: Thank you Mr Speaker. I think that as the bill came back from select committee there were a number of obvious changes that needed to be—SPEAKER: No the committee of the whole all right?DARROCH BALL: Sorry—yeah sorry. It's come back from the committee of the whole House and I think one of the things that that highlighted for me is the fact that there were no SOPs or amendments from the National Party. All they did was stand up and complain about it—all they did was stand up and complain about it. But I think the fact that the majority of the changes that were made to the legislation that came through from the committee of the whole House was to ensure that legislation was fit for purpose— Hon Mark Mitchell: You can do this mate.DARROCH BALL: —to ensure that the legislation was fit for purpose. Well what we can do Mr Mitchell on this side of the House is make sure the prisoner numbers go down. You see on TV the other week that member over there said on Newshub Nation I believe it was that they're focused on the prison numbers—they're focused on the prison numbers. What happened under National for the nine years that they were in there? Oh they focused on them all right—they went up. The prison numbers went up under that party and now they're complaining of the fact that on this side it's going down.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): And just because there's a new Speaker in the seat is not a licence to go away from the bill. Hon Mark Mitchell: That's right.DARROCH BALL: No you're right. You're right Mr Speaker.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): And I don't need any help Mr Mitchell.DARROCH BALL: Thank you Mr Speaker. One of the main changes that was brought in— and it's been mentioned by both the previous speakers of the National Party—was the strengthening of the prisoner mail laws. One of the interesting things that Mr Bennett said actually made it quite clear that he hadn't actually been understanding what the legislative changes here were in regards to the prison mail laws because if he did he would understand that the law regarding what the prisoner can send out what was the content of it and who they can send out to has been strengthened by this legislation—has been strengthened by this legislation. I'll say something else. I want to point out something else too about what happened during the committee of the whole House. The National Party voted for the SOP that changed the prisoner mail laws. Go look it up—go look it up. That party over there is standing up and bagging the very law that they voted for—the very amendment that they voted for in the last stage of this House. Go and look it up. Oh you see he's smiling. He doesn't want to say anything now eh Mr Mitchell? Where was Mr Bennett? Where was Mr Bennett? Where was Mr Bennett? Oh see now that member doesn't even know what the previous two National Party members have been speaking about. You voted for it. Anyway I digress.So see what this legislation is doing is it's added an explicit provision—right Mr Mitchell?—that allows for the withholding of prisoner mail that promotes or encourages hostility towards any group of people. You see? So it does make changes in the favour—and the National Party should know about it because they voted for it in the past stage of this House. But I'd like to mention also—this provision was mentioned by Mr Mitchell—the use of police jail cells in extreme circumstances where there was an overflow of numbers in the prisons right? That's what it used to be because they needed it the National Party because the prison population under National was overflowing and they needed to utilise the police jail cells which when—Hon Mark Mitchell: That's right.DARROCH BALL: They knew it. See they're saying they knew it but they also must have known at that point that the police jail cells were not suitable for holding prisoners. So you see I'd like to—I was actually going to say this at the start of my speech but what this piece of legislation highlights for me is the transition of a Government that used to—that used to—be Government of being reactive to issues. And see they're proving me right again. They're being reactive to legislation—reactive. But we've got a transition from being reactive to proactive—being proactive. This is what all of these provisions in here are doing—Hon Mark Mitchell: Throw the doors open. Let them out.DARROCH BALL: —because we've got a corrections system Mr Mitchell and under the National Government there was no corrections about it. Who was it correcting—who was it correcting? You see it's about ensuring that we have the ability to ensure that the prisoners that are there don't come back—don't come back. That's what we're doing right now and we have done in the last previous two years because the prison population has gone down—not like the previous Government when it's gone up by 20 or 30 percent. That's how they're focusing on and reacting to the prison population.A few other changes in the legislation that this bill does: it makes it a disciplinary offence for a person in prison to—around giving tattoos giving consent to receive a prison tattoo or tattooing themselves. I think it's pretty important because within the prison system we all know that there's an issue with gang membership and the recruitment of gangs and that's one way that those existing gang members in prisons actually assert their influence on others and bring them in—by forcing tattoos on others. Another one—also very important and bringing it up to date and being fit for purpose—is ensuring that we amend the definition of a drug to align it with the Psychoactive Substances Act. That is very important because of obviously the scourge of synthetic cannabis on the streets and obviously being brought into the prison system and ensuring that we can have a charge for a disciplinary offence on that. Another couple is allowing for the use of imaging technology—obviously there will always be a need but it reduces the need and reliance on rub-down and strip searches—and also another important one was removing the mandatory requirement for a strip search of those who have returned to prison when they've always been escorted the whole entire time. That just makes sense. So in summary obviously New Zealand First is supporting this piece of legislation because it's a common-sense one. It brings in much-needed changes to ensure for the most part that the legislation is fit for purpose and we commend this bill to the House. Thank you Mr Speaker."