Prebble Richard: Corrections Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
Prebble Richard: Corrections Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:617;Page:13007] 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE (Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I listened to a contribution from one of the National members about clause 71. 
Simon Power 
: That was me. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: Oh right. The member said that we are to pass a law relating to bedding. I ask the Minister in the chair the Hon Paul Swain whether it is the intention of the Government to pass a law that states all the mattresses in prisons must be laundered before being reissued to other prisoners. I often stay in hotels and I am unaware that even five-star hotels launder the mattresses between guests. I have had a complaint that our prisons are five-star hotels—this measure will make them seven-star or 10-star or something of that nature. [ 
Interruption 
] In case the member thinks I am making a frivolous point I say I am not. I am making a very serious point. 
When I listened to the comments about bedding I thought that bedding would include mattresses. I went to the current edition of the  
Concise Oxford Dictionary 
 to try to find out how “bedding” is interpreted. I looked to see if there was an interpretation in the bill—there does not appear to be one. This issue will be litigated because prisoners litigate everything. 
Dail Jones 
: They have nothing else to do. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: They have nothing else to do. The  
Concise Oxford Dictionary 
 defines bedding as a mattress and bedclothes so we are to pass a bill today with a provision that mattresses and bedclothes be laundered before they are reissued to other prisoners. I say to the Minister that I do not think that is what he intended. It shows the absurdity of the approach taken in this bill and of us as a Parliament trying to legislate to such a degree as this. I say to the Minister in the chair—because it is his bill—that if that is what he intends then no doubt he will not make an amendment. If he does make an amendment I would expect the clause to state that it refers just to bedclothes. I think “bedclothes” is the word the Minister was actually looking for. 
This issue shows the ridiculousness of this bill and of the type of approach taken in it. The Government freely admits that it has an excellent private prison but says it is ideologically opposed to having an excellent prison. Then it says it can pass a bill that states prisons will somehow be improved by laundering the mattresses every time there is a change of prisoner. 
Ron Mark 
: By law. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: By law. This issue will be litigated. Someone will say that the issue was raised in Parliament so the provision is exactly what was intended and the politicians knew what they were doing. Someone will ask whether if the Minister did not mean to include mattresses he bothered to read the bill. 
This issue pointed out by a National member of Parliament is an absurdity. When I listened to Simon Power I could not believe it but I had a look and saw that clause 71(3) states that all bedding must be laundered before it is reissued to another prisoner. That is something that even hotels in New Zealand do not do. The Government says that it has a get-tough approach with regard to prisons. Perhaps it does but on whom does it get tough? It is certainly not tough on the prisoners. The Government is pretty tough on the taxpayers on the people who are victims of crime and on the laundry people but it is not tough on the prisoners. I say to this Minister— 
Ron Mark 
: What about the prisoners who work in the laundry? They will be working their backsides off. 
Hon RICHARD PREBBLE 
: I do not think they will. I think there is probably a UN convention that prisoners cannot do any work. No some outside people will be coming in to do the laundry. But they will not be outside contractors. They will all be members of the Public Service Association and they will not launder more than a certain number of mattresses a day. Then we will have reports in the newspaper stating that judges cannot send anyone to jail because the prisons cannot launder the mattresses fast enough for the new prisoners who are coming in.