Collins Judith: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Collins Judith: Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:648;Page:17166] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 The National Party supports the Corrections (Mothers with Babies) Amendment Bill. In speaking to this bill I will first comment that prison is no place for a baby to be. Actually many of us would think that prison is no place for many people to be. Certainly the children whom we are speaking about are children at their most vulnerable—our very young children who are being breastfed by their mothers. Breastfeeding mothers who are in prison are in many cases some of our most vulnerable adults. In many cases they are people who if they do not have their babies with them have very little to live for. I cannot think of a worse thing as a mother than to have a baby taken away. I just cannot believe that that could happen in a civilised society. 
I know full well that this bill will certainly impact upon the Department of Corrections and I note that Mr Goff the Minister of Corrections has asked for certain provisions to allow the provision of facilities able to cope with young babies. However when this bill first came to National members we decided that we should give it a try that we should see whether the Law and Order Committee could come up with whatever changes were necessary to make it a workable bill. I know that there is a great deal of scepticism out in the community about just how this bill will work how it will operate for the children and whether we are being unkind to little children by having them be in prison. 
As I started off by saying prison is no place for children. But let us think practically about where many of these children come from—where they live and what their homes are like. If mothers are in such trouble with the law that they are in prison is it not better that their children are with them in a place where they are supervised their Well Child checks happen and somebody makes sure they are looked after and cared for? Many of these mothers have multiple challenges and difficulties to overcome and they will be in a place where they can be supported helped to be good mothers and encouraged to do the right thing for their children. As a mother when I think of the Kahui children Chris and Cru I would rather that those babies had been with their mother in prison under guidance and care than out in the community with their mother. I am not making any judgment about what happened to them and by whom. It is extraordinary that until today we have not acknowledged the fact that often babies live in places where they are not so much brought up as dragged up. Not all of us look after our children in the way that we should. 
This bill provides an opportunity for a mother to learn to be a mother. It provides at least an opportunity for children to be fed properly to be looked after and to have Well Child checks—to have an opportunity. It is also a chance for rehabilitation. If one thing will rehabilitate adults it will surely be the love of and their love for their child. I cannot think of anything else that would rehabilitate many of the people we are talking about. A woman who ends up in prison with a young baby will have committed some pretty nasty crimes. 
I think the concerns that people have about the safety of the children have been dealt with by the select committee. There is enough in this bill to ensure that. I know we are taking a risk by passing this bill but we take a risk every single day that we live. We take risks when children are born to parents who are not ready to be parents—yet they are parents. We cannot always judge situations by our own situations and certainly not by the way in which we were brought up. This bill is something we can do; we can give these young mothers and their children a chance. If this bill becomes law and it does not work we will look at it again.