Field Taito Phillip: Prostitution Reform Bill — In Committee 
Field Taito Phillip: Prostitution Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:608;Page:5750] 
Hon TAITO PHILLIP FIELD (Minister of State) 
: 
 This debate has been very interesting. I know that a lot of members have honourable intentions insofar as this bill is concerned. Certainly the member who is in charge of the bill may have good intentions but I want to make it clear from the outset that I oppose every provision of this legislation. Firstly I come from a background of Christian people and people who have been missionaries. I say that not because I want to appear righteous but I would like to explain my background as a Christian. I am proud of that and I stand for Christian values. I know that the Pacific community I represent is very much a Christian community and it opposes this bill. 
I make it clear that despite the member’s good intentions about the protection of sex workers and so on I am particularly concerned about what I see in Manukau and some of my colleagues from Auckland are concerned too. We see 13 and 14-year-olds walking the streets of Manukau selling themselves because they cannot afford to support themselves. It is absolutely outrageous that in a well-off country like this some of those girls and other young people—no doubt young boys in due course—will begin to sell themselves because they do not have the means to support themselves and their children. Some of them are no more than babies themselves—babies having babies. I oppose this bill because this Parliament’s message to the community is important. If we begin to send the wrong message then despite the good intentions behind the bill we will be abdicating our responsibility to this nation. 
Despite the good intentions of the member the statistics and facts show that decriminalisation of prostitution leads to an increase in activity and an expansion of the industry. That is precisely the experience overseas and I state clearly that members should seriously consider those facts before they decide to vote in favour of this legislation. 
I make it quite clear that communities with a lot of low-income families are experiencing not only social and economic problems but some of the young people are facing drug problems. Prostitution is an easy option to get money to pay for their addictions and I am particularly concerned about that. If we decriminalise prostitution that will send a message out there that prostitution is OK. I believe more of those young people will use prostitution as a way of funding their addictions. That is a big concern in a community where there is a lot of truancy burglaries and drug taking by young people. 
 If we want to start solving those sorts of issues confronting young people then we have to face the reality of what is happening in low-income communities such as mine. I want to speak out strongly in opposition to this bill. I know that a very high percentage of young Maori children are homeless in the city and that fact was mentioned by the previous speaker. They are displaced because of high unemployment and displaced from rural areas. They are actually living under bridges. My colleague Dover Samuels can vouch for this. He visited Auckland City on a Friday night and found homeless children living under bridges all over the city. They were looking at how to survive and prostitution is an easy way to survive on the streets of Auckland. 
I am not a puritan. I heard somebody earlier quote from the Bible about Jesus confronting a crowd that was about to stone a prostitute. Jesus said: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” He did not condemn. None of us are so righteous that we can condemn or point the finger at anybody. Christ did not condemn the woman but had mercy on her and then told her to sin no more. What I am trying to say is that nobody can claim to be righteous in this House. We have a responsibility as members of Parliament and as a Parliament to send the right message to our communities and to our nation.