Carter John: Prostitution Reform Bill — Procedure Third Reading 
Carter John: Prostitution Reform Bill — Procedure Third Reading 
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JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: 
 I understand the emotion that was expressed by Georgina Beyer. I have taken an interest in the issues and done what a number of MPs have done. I have spoken to a number of people who have worked and are currently working in the sex industry to try to get an understanding of the issues. I respect those points that have been put to me by the likes of Katie Deckieand a whole lot of other people with whom I have had the opportunity to debate these matters. 
I have also had the opportunity to be on the streets with Mama Tere Strickland to see what the impact actually is on some of the people who live in a different zone to most of us here in Parliament. I say to members of Parliament—and indeed to the many people close to us tonight who are listening to this debate—that there are a group of people who do not even know where Parliament is. The people who are here in our presence tonight and who are involved in the sex industry are generally clever and capable people. Although they experience difficulties in the area they are involved in they are able in the main to look after themselves and they do so through the collective with which they associate. I refer to those who do not have any contact with the collective or with other sex workers. 
I want to draw the House’s attention to a group I saw because this bill will do absolutely nothing for them. If I make no other point tonight I want to make this point about a group of five people of whom two were mothers two were related and in their early 30s and one had a 14 to 16-year-old daughter but claimed the daughter was over 18. The other mother had two sons—one was 17 and one was 7. They were all out on the streets working. The two mothers and the daughter were in and out of cars. The elder son was there looking after the group and was there to look after the 7-year-old as well. When I asked Mama Tere about them she said: “They don’t live in our society. They are not part of us. They don’t have dreams and aspirations. They don’t think about Christmas. They don’t have holidays. They don’t know about a future; they live now. We don’t live in their zone and they don’t live in ours.” 
Unfortunately we have people like that in our society and it is sad and horrible. If these people in this House have not had the chance to experience those sorts of people and see how they live or even to try to understand what they are like I urge them to do so. It was an absolute eye-opener for me. When I looked at this legislation to see how it was going to help those people I saw that it did nothing for them at all. I was one of those members who were uncertain about whether they wanted to support this legislation. Like others I want to pay my respects to those on both sides of the argument. I digress to say that this has been a good sensible debate—unlike the debate on homosexual law reform which got quite personal. At least we have kept this debate at a very good level. 
But if this legislation were to be passed what worries me is that that group of five is likely to grow. It will not just be that five or however many of those people are out on the streets it might well be a lot more. I am worried that if this bill were to be passed there might be some advantages for those here tonight who can look after themselves but there are a number who cannot. I say to this country and particularly to this Parliament that I do not want to be—and I urge this Parliament not to be—responsible for making life worse for other people we do not know about.