Ryall Tony: Corrections Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Ryall Tony: Corrections Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:617;Page:13145] 
Hon TONY RYALL (National—Bay of Plenty) 
: 
 The National Party remains strongly opposed to the provisions of the Corrections Bill and throughout the part by part debate on this bill I think that the Opposition across the Chamber has effectively focused on the extraordinary weaknesses provisioned in this legislation. Not only have we highlighted the inconsistency of the Government on the matter of private prisons not only have we highlighted the cost to taxpayers of the Government’s ideological aversion to private prisons not only have we talked about the fact that victims are ignored throughout this legislation not only have we talked about the fact that this bill overprescribes the management of our prison service not only have we talked about the new and extensive rights and entitlements given to prisoners by this legislation—in marked contrast to the lack of rights and entitlements given to victims—but also we have talked about the fact that this is a Government department under pressure underperforming under-resourced and under complete scrutiny by the Opposition in the House. 
We are seeing time and time again situations where this Minister Paul Swain is failing in his responsibilities to provide a safe and secure corrections system for this country. As we sit here today it is just 24 hours since another couple of prisoners escaped from a prison in the Minister’s own electorate and it is just minutes since the House in question time asked this Minister why it is Government policy that a man who bashes his wife can go back on home detention to the very house with the woman who is too scared to say no because it is a question of: “Do I get the bash now or later?”. This Government does not deserve the privilege of writing corrections law for this country. The Minister does not deserve the right to write corrections law for this country. 
The thing that galls me the most about this legislation is that the Government plans to do away with the one bright spark across the whole corrections system—a system that I describe as “good people bad Minister bad system”—and that is the private prison in Auckland. That is a prison where it costs $43000 a year per inmate compared with an equivalent cost in the public service of $54000 a year. It is a prison that is putting more emphasis on rehabilitation the holistic care of the prisoners in terms of the issues they face. It is a prison that does not require these new powers to allow prison officers to control inmates. This Government plans to do away with that private prison. 
During the part by part debate we asked the Minister time and time again to take a call and explain why the Government wants to abolish the involvement of the private sector in the prison system. There is a lack of consistency from this Government. It does not want private enterprise involved in the supervision of prisoners in jail but it is quite happy for the private sector to be involved in the incapacitation of prisoners between a court and a prison. There seems to be a real inconsistency there. 
During the part by part debate the Opposition focused on the lack of rights for victims in this legislation. In this bill there are 75 lines that describe the purpose and role of the Department of Corrections. Do members know how many lines actually refer to the victims of crime in terms of the purpose of this department? Just 2½ lines—that is all! That department is prepared to tell the families of offenders when a prisoner is being moved but it is not prepared to tell the families of victims when the offender is being moved. This is a Government that does not deserve the confidence of the House.