The legislation to allow private contractors to run prisons is currently making its way through New Zealand’s parliament and the Law and Order select committee is hearing submissions. Last week one of those submissions came from a group of prison officers, representing 30 officers who had previously worked for a privately run prison last time New Zealand experimented with the idea. But after Bart Birch, Uaea Leavasa and Satish Prasad criticised how Auckland Central Remand Prison was run under private contractor GEO Ltd between 2000 and 2005, former Sensible Sentencing Trust lawyer and current ACT MP David Garrett told them “You say that you don’t want to go back to working in this environment — to the private (sector). You’d be aware that given your submission here, you wouldn’t get offered a job anyway, would you?”

It wasn’t a good look for the government to have a member of their coalition partner make such a statement, National is still facing criticism for Social Welfare minister Paula Bennet releasing private information about two women who criticised government welfare policy in the media. Not to mention Justice Minister Simon Power responding to criticism of prison policies from Chief Justice Sian Elias by telling her she should stay out of government policy. National was quick to distance itself from Garrett’s comments however. National MP Shane Ardern told the prison officers “Can I say from my own party you can sit here without fear or favour”. The government certainly does not want to be seen as stifling the rights of citizens to voice their views. Garrett, who maintains he has said nothing wrong seems less concerned, but of course this is the man who once said in the house of parliament “We’ve got too hung up on people’s rights.“