Sio Su'a William: Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill — First Reading 
Sio Su'a William: Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:666;Page:13795] 
SU’A WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Mangere) 
: 
 It is my pleasure to rise to support the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill in respect of street prostitution. I think it is important for members of this House to note that this bill is not about eliminating prostitution. There is no effort whatsoever being made to repeal the Prostitution Reform Act. This bill is about addressing a problem that the people of the Manukau City Council acknowledge has existed for some time in their midst. It is a problem that has caused quite a lot of pain within some sectors of that community. No doubt my colleague to my right Ross Robertson and my colleague to my left George Hawkins who represent those communities will have more to say on this issue. 
I think it is important to say that we are not about trying to eliminate prostitution and I do not think that will ever be possible. For as long as there is violence in the home women are beaten up and women and children are sexually abused there will be people who feel inclined that this is perhaps a way for them to earn a living and a way for them to pay back the people whom they might be angry with. As long as there are men out there with money who are willing to buy this kind of service then we will always have that sad situation in our community. 
I say also that this bill is not driven by any moral outrage despite the fact that in the early days of the Prostitution Reform Act the Manukau community felt as though it had every right to say no to what was being proposed then. It is important that members note that this bill focuses specifically on street prostitution. 
I understand that the members of the Manukau City Council are united in sending a very strong signal to this House that it is a problem and that they simply want this bill to be referred to a select committee so that we can listen to the evidence that is available from the public particularly the public of Manukau and so that we can also get some advice in terms of how we deal with this particular problem. The problem is that the Prostitution Reform Act does not protect the women who are offering their services on the streets. Despite the work of the council in advocating for social services and protection from other agencies and its work in ensuring that these areas are lit have closed-circuit television and are monitored by security the fact remains that it is not only unsafe for those practising their services on the street but also unsafe for members of the local community when they have to deal with the nuisance factor that arises from street prostitution. 
I will not say anything further except to say that this bill is a major improvement on the previous bill that was forwarded by the Manukau City Council in 2005. It is the view of the council which I support that the Prostitution Reform Act has failed to protect street workers or to move them to safer settings indoors. As I said this bill will not provide the sole answer. It is a tool as we explore how to try to deal with the unsafe situation of young people mainly who feel that they have to offer their services on the street. We need to provide a balance so that their rights as prostitutes are protected and the rights of the community are maintained.