Roy Heather: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Roy Heather: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:632;Page:4038] 
HEATHER ROY (Deputy Leader—ACT) 
: 
 I rise to speak to the first reading of the Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill. ACT New Zealand will be supporting this bill going to select committee. There are certainly provisions in it that we think are very positive. There are a lot of unanswered questions too. One of the reasons that we want to see this bill go to select committee is so that we can have proper thorough discussion and proper submissions about the pros and cons of the measures suggested in the bill. 
When doing research for this bill it was interesting to look at what is happening in other countries. In European countries many children are allowed to stay with their mothers up to the age of 2 or 3. That seems to be pretty much the norm. In Australia I think it is 12 months—[ 
Interruption 
] It varies from state to state; right. But in some states it is up to 12 months. 
The point that must be considered paramount of course is what is best for the baby in this situation. We must not forget along the way that mothers are in prison and usually for a very good reason so there needs to be a clear balance between what is best for the child involved and ensuring the mother’s obligation to society—the reason for her being in prison in the first place—is met. 
It depends a little on whom one talks to as to the benefits the pros and cons involved with a baby staying with its mother until the age of 2. Many people say that the recidivism rate is significantly lessened when mothers have a very good reason to behave well in prison and to follow codes of conduct that are expected of them while they are in prison. But some of the written evidence I looked at said that the measures were inconclusive. That does not necessarily mean that they are not there; it just means that they have not perhaps been proven or the research might not have been done. I think sending this bill to select committee will allow for expert advice to be sought so we can see the benefits to the children when they are balanced with the reasons that the mother is in prison in the first place. 
The other important aspect of this bill—and it has been mentioned by other speakers—is the right of mothers to breastfeed. The bond that develops between a mother and her child when breastfeeding is allowed to happen is absolutely well-established and there would be very little argument about that. It is certainly something that I too feel quite strongly about. 
One of the things that I think happens at the moment in prison—and this is very much anecdotal—is that mothers know they will be able to keep their children for only 6 months. Very often the child is used as a tool in behaviour patterns and in the decision making that goes on in prisons. This is very sad because it would seem at that point that the child’s interests are not paramount. If we know that a child is able to stay with its mother until the age of 2 there is less scope for that behaviour to occur in the prison system. 
ACT will be supporting this bill to select committee. We do have a lot of questions. We want to know that the evidence is there to show that this is absolutely best for the child. Bringing up a child in prison of course is not an ideal situation so we need to know what detrimental effects if any there might be on children up to the age of 2. Some people say there are absolutely none. Probably none of us have memories of before we were 2 years old so there may be none. But there are other people who feel quite strongly that there will be detrimental effects for children. We need to explore that side of things as well as the recidivism rate the benefit it has to the mother whether she will go on to form strong bonds with her children once she is released from prison whether she is likely to reoffend—or much less likely to reoffend—as a result of having that bond that will ultimately develop because she has been able to keep her child with her. That too needs to be explored and we look forward to those questions being answered and the submissions being given. 
We have pleasure in supporting this bill going to select committee.