Power Simon: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
Power Simon: Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) — Second Reading 
[Volume:651;Page:997] 
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 I move  
That the Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a second time 
. This bill was introduced by the previous Government and the Hon Phil Goff—if I am right the previous Minister of Corrections. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: A very good Minister. 
Hon SIMON POWER 
: He was an adequate Minister. The Corrections Amendment Bill (No 2) enjoyed support from the National Party when it was in Opposition and will continue to enjoy that support from the National Party in Government. I trust that the Labour Party which introduced the bill when in Government will continue to support the bill while in Opposition. 
At the end of the last Parliament this bill was caught up in a rather disappointing way. I know that the honourable Leader of the Opposition will not comment on this and he will not necessarily agree with it outright. The point is that the bill had large cross-party support between the major political parties prior to the last election but unfortunately due to matters that are beyond the realm of my understanding— 
Hon Darren Hughes 
: That doesn’t limit it. 
Hon SIMON POWER 
: Touché! It was unable to be advanced because of arrangements the then Government clearly had with some of the smaller confidence and supply partners. They did not agree to include this bill in the rush of legislation that went through the House prior to its rising for the general election. That was a shame. This Government considers the bill to be a priority and that it is worthwhile advancing it and that is why we have included it in today’s items of business. 
Crucially the bill does some things that in my previous role as Opposition spokesperson on justice and corrections I had taken a personal interest in. I take some credit I guess for highlighting some of those issues in a way that may have assisted this bill’s coming forward. I hope the bill will help to reduce contraband in prisons and increase control of prisoners’ communications with the outside world. It rightly includes changes that will make it harder for people to bring prohibited items into prison and make it easier to detect prohibited items and punish prisoners and others for using them. The bill complements security and surveillance improvements within prisons which is to be encouraged. Expanded drug-dog teams and checkpoints to screen visitors and staff are to be welcomed. 
Over the last 9 years prior to the change of Government members of the National Party highlighted the unacceptable levels of contraband within our prisons. In particular we raised issues like the prostitute who was found in the grounds of Rimutaka Prison in 2006 having been procured by an inmate using his cellphone; two inmates at Christchurch Prison who were sending obscene text messages to women also in that year; and of course other contraband such as KFC and the like being consumed in an inappropriate manner. After 8 years of denial head-shaking and counter-accusations the previous Government—to give it its due—introduced the bill under the guidance of the Hon Phil Goff. Despite Mr Goff’s believing that he has been in the justice area for 9 full years he actually had a small period off the job when a couple of his former colleagues entered into the fray. That provided ample opportunity for the then Opposition. I have to say that from the moment Mr Goff introduced this legislation I was certainly keen to see National support it. We will continue to do so. 
Since the previous Labour Government took office at the end of 1999 we have raised issues covered by this bill with all six Ministers of Corrections. When those matters were drawn to the public’s attention the then Minister of Corrections now the honourable Leader of the Opposition determined that action had to be taken. The new Government places public safety above all other issues when it comes to the law and order and justice debate. This bill will enhance those policy settings and although because of relationships with confidence and supply partners the last Government found this legislation difficult to progress that will not be an issue for this Government. In June 2007 the then Minister of Corrections Damien O’Connor promised to clamp down on contraband: “I will use every tool at my disposal to remove the scourge of drugs from prisons and to keep cellphones and weapons out of prisoners’ hands.” It took some time before the legislation arrived but it got here in the end. 
I have to say in respect of jamming and detecting cellphone communications that this work is not a straightforward area. As the former Minister will know I questioned how this particular technology would operate in different prisons with different geographic contortions and topography surrounding those prisons. I am looking back to my old geography days; I came first in the seventh form. The key to this is to use a range of tools within the prison system and to use cellphone towers. It has taken far too long in many respects for agreement to be reached with the telecommunications providers for that technology to be utilised. Frankly it is well beyond the time that we should have introduced legislation to specifically authorise the Department of Corrections to jam detect and monitor cellphone and other radio-based communications within prison boundaries obviously providing that those activities do not interfere with devices outside prison boundaries—for example in the case of prisons that are located in the centre or near the centre of large cities and small towns. I visited New Plymouth Prison and from memory it had in the vicinity of 60 to 80 beds which Mr Goff will know. That prison is very close to the city so this technology has to be carefully monitored to make sure it does not have wider implications for cellphone users in places near the prison. Also like New Plymouth is central Auckland with Mount Eden Prison nearby and the Auckland women’s prison. 
Hon Phil Goff 
: And Auckland prison. 
Hon SIMON POWER 
: Mr Goff is quite right. 
We were able to pluck this bill—which we consider to be a crucial part of the tools that need to be made available to any Government—from an Order Paper where unfortunately the previous Government had been unable to advance it. We believe that it is worth spending the time of the House today to advance a measure that we hope will enhance the safety of the public and send a clear message to inmates who reside in our prison system that once sent to prison we expect certain liberties to be removed. The ability to bring in contraband should be removed and the ability to use cellphones to connect with the outside world in an unauthorised way should be removed. Of course the most important thing is to ensure that Department of Corrections prison officials themselves have the necessary powers and procedures to deal with contraband and cellphone use in prisons. This bill will go some way to ensuring that happens. 
The Government considers this bill an important part of its law and order programme and that is why the bill comes to its second reading today under this Government’s watch and with this Government’s full support.