Alexander Marc: Corrections Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
Alexander Marc: Corrections Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:617;Page:12983] 
MARC ALEXANDER (United Future) 
: 
 I believe that this bill and the credibility of this bill is undermined by the lack of support from every party in this Parliament except for the underwhelming Labour Party and the underwhelming Green Party—two parties that are certainly not noted for being in favour of supporting victims’ rights but that are incredibly—[ 
Interruption 
] Does that party even exist any more—the Alliance leftovers the Progressives? We are talking about parties that are not well known or well regarded as far as victims’ rights are concerned. In fact they are the very parties that are offender-focused more than anything else. 
I would like to have a look at the principles in clause 6. Let us have a look at the first one: “(a) the maintenance of public safety is the paramount consideration …”. Well we should tell that to Tai Hobson. Stephen Franks and I were at the court yesterday. I did not see any member of the Government standing there in support of Tai Hobson. If it were not for the Department of Corrections the probation service the issue of parole and the lack of common sense of this Government I can tell members that he would not be there trying to claim his rights in respect of the death of his wife. It is because of the failure of the Department of Corrections. 
If we look at subclause (b) in clause 6 we see that “victims’ interests must be considered”. How? What victims are being talked about? This Labour Government has turned its back on seven northern Maori iwi who want to take part and take ownership of the problem in prisons— 
Hon Matt Robson 
: Ha ha! 
MARC ALEXANDER 
: The Progressives can laugh but they are immaterial anyway. There are the Greens who once championed the rights of Maori but who have now turned their backs on them. I tell members that Maori will not forget their betrayal at the ballot box. The Greens will be held to account as will the Labour Party. They have turned their backs on Maori and they have turned their backs on common sense. 
If we consider the phrase “in order to reduce the risk of reoffending” in subclause (c) we can ask how the Government is going to do that with an 87 percent recidivism rate. We are not talking about a huge success rate for this Government are we. The only correctional facility that has a chance of actually stemming the tide and being the light that the rest of the corrections’ facilities can bathe in and take lessons from is being got rid of by this Minister. I have never seen him stand hand on heart and say he actually believes that this is the right decision. He always retreats into ideology or principles—ideology and principles that were made well before this corrections facility. The private prison’s management had a chance to actually succeed and show what it could do in contrast to the defective Department of Corrections that this Minister is supposedly in charge of. That is shameful! 
If we read further down in subclause (c) where it refers to “the cultural background ethnic identity and language of offenders:” again we see that this Labour Government complicit with the Greens is turning its back on Maori. We have something that works the Auckland remand centre and those parties are turning their backs on it because of a piece of paper they wrote before it even began. It is the “Flat Earth Society” in action. Its members had a policy to believe in the flat Earth and not to let the facts get in the way. 
Clause 6(d) states: “an offender’s family must so far as is reasonable and practicable in the circumstances and within the resources available be recognised provided for and engaged in—”. We should tell that to Ken and Rita Croskery who never had the opportunity until intervention by members of Parliament to help them to go to parole hearings. But what of the families of offenders? Well they are catered for nicely and handsomely in this bill. It is pathetic and woeful and it is a slap in the face of the victims of this country. 
Clause 6(e) states: “the corrections system must ensure the fair treatment of prisoners and offenders who are subject to community-based sentences”. In the public system that this Minister is responsible for he is trying to delay the possibility of looking at the “goon squad” activities. Finally when push came to shove and he did not have a choice we have now an inquiry and there is the matter of 17 sexual liaisons between inmates and female corrections officers that he has finally admitted after misleading the House beforehand. We have high rates of suicide and drugs and alcohol in the corrections system but that is not so in the private system. But this Minister will not stand up put his hand on his heart and claim—and I want to see him do this—that shutting down the privately managed prison is the appropriate thing to do other than responding to principles that pre-dated and existed before that prison. This bill is a flaw from beginning to end.