Robertson Grant: Urgent Debates — Serco—Decision to End Contract for Mt Eden Corrections FacilityText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Urgent Debates — Serco—Decision to End Contract for Mt Eden Corrections Facility[Sitting date: 09 December 2015. Volume:710;Page:8713. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): How fitting it is to end the year in this Parliament on one of the National Party’s great ideological crusades that has turned sour because that is what this is. The National Party was warned. It was warned in the 1990s when it went down the private prison pathway and the Labour Government had to come in and wind that back. It goes down that pathway again in this Government solely for ideological reasons. Let us be absolutely crystal clear: the taking away of someone’s liberty is a responsibility of the State. It should be held by the State as a responsibility to manage that in accordance with the kinds of norms and rules that the public of New Zealand would expect and when a private operator is brought into this it brings with it the profit motive—that is the point of the operation of a company like Serco. It will cut corners. We knew that from day one. The Government was warned that staffing levels would be cut and they were.I want to pay tribute to Kelvin Davis who has led this campaign fantastically well and highlighted what has happened in Mt Eden. As Kelvin Davis pointed out the moment those staffing levels went down the pressure goes on the staff the trouble rises and we have seen the appalling situation of violence within Mt Eden and the contraband that has come into Mt Eden. So the Government was warned about this and it proceeded anyway.But look at the contract that was signed by Judith Collins who stood there and said that Serco has a strong track record in managing prisons. She said: “I am confident that the company will bring the high standards of professionalism safety rehabilitation and security expected by the Government to Mt Eden.” Well they came with their track record from the UK and in fact what happened in Mt Edenwas what had happened in the UK. There was poor performance and the taxpayers of New Zealand and the people of New Zealand were ripped off. On this side of the House what we say is: what kind of contract is it that the Government has signed? The Government has signed up to a contract that means that the taxpayer will be paying for another 14 months of Serco doing nothing—14 months’ more payment to Serco for their poor performance.What economic geniuses on the other side of the House sign up to contracts when time after time the Government gets done in by commercial operators? Be it Skycity be it Tīwai Point be it Chorus or be it Warner Bros time after time this Government gets done over in commercial negotiations. So here is the Government saying that it has a private provider who is hopeless and is not doing the job but it is going to pay them for another 14 months. It is useless. It is useless at negotiating commercial contracts and Government members come into this House and lecture every other party. Well that is the party that has lost millions and millions of dollars for New Zealanders because of its blind ideological approach to public services. It has put ideology before public safety. It has put ideology before the rehabilitation of prisoners. That is what this Government has done.What makes it worse is that although Serco might have lost a contract at Mt Eden it has still got the contract for Wiri Prison. It still has a 25-year contract there. It is like taking a box of matches off a pyromaniac and saying: “But you can keep the big can of petrol for 25 years and pour that around the place.” That is what the Government has done by extending the contract at Wiri. Now Judith Collins is back in charge—the very person. “Countess Homogenised” arrives on her white horse and says: “I’m back. I created this shambles and I’m back.” Well here is my challenge to Judith Collins. Today John Key has said that Serco could re-tender for the contract in 2017.Dr David Clark: What?GRANT ROBERTSON: That is what he said this afternoon. My challenge to the National Party is: for once listen look at the evidence and realise what you have done and step away from this ideological approach. Reassure New Zealanders that the correctional system is safe that it is protecting New Zealanders and actually doing what it is meant to do to rehabilitate prisoners. If they bring Serco back mark my words this will happen again. This ideological nonsense has to stop.