Duynhoven Harry: Prostitution Reform Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Duynhoven Harry: Prostitution Reform Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4471] 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Minister of State) 
: 
 I do not usually speak on issues such as this. On conscience issues I usually cast my vote and quietly get on with life. I have thought about this bill quite a lot and I want to say that in my 12 years as an MP I have never had any representation from the prostitutes who obviously live in my electorate—because if there are 8000 of them I should have approximately 120 or 130 living in my electorate. I have never had any representation from them for any reform or protection etc. 
This is a moral issue and I do not mean that in the sense often used by people of the “moral high ground” or the “moral right” or the “moral left” or all of those things. I mean it purely in terms of what we believe as individuals to be right or wrong and what we believe to be acceptable reasonable and a position of common sense—what we feel comfortable with as individuals. 
At the age of 18 under this bill people will legally be allowed to have sex for sale. That of course happens—daily. But we see in society the very great difficulty that even publicans to take a simple situation have in determining who is 18 when people come to the bar and ask to buy alcohol. The same applies in supermarkets clubs etc. Surely then it would be an absolute defence to be able to say: “I thought she was 18 your honour.” It would have to be proven that there was intent to have sex with someone under 18 in terms of the guilt associated with having sex with an underage prostitute. 
It seems to me that we have a simple dilemma. We have to consider that if we go through the process of what we call reform and make it more acceptable to have prostitution out there we then have to be accepting of the fact that should this bill succeed a private training enterprise or indeed a State-owned training provider would be in a position to train people to work in the sex industry—because obviously there may be some merit in being properly trained to be in jobs in the sex industry. Perhaps we might have apprenticeships. Perhaps we might have courses for careers advisers. Perhaps we might have unit standards student loans an industry training authority national certificate qualifications etc. etc. Some people might think that is a bit far-fetched but equally people in the era when New Zealand had dry areas would have seen it as quite far-fetched for there to be hospitality courses in how to make cocktails prepare drinks and wait on people etc. It is not far-fetched; it is perhaps just a few years distant. 
Ms Dianne Yates’ amendments to deal equally with the solicitor and the solicited should be supported if the bill continues because we are then in the position of having equal treatment. 
I have not come to this from some sort of high moral ground approach. I have tried to come to it from what I believe in my gut. As someone who was a school counsellor for a few years and a high school teacher for a number of years should a student have come to me as a counsellor and said: “Mr Duynhoven I have decided that I want to be working in the sex industry.” what would my advice have been and how could I have defended my position if prostitution were seen to be legally acceptable and reasonable? I am not as entertaining or as engaging as Mr Williamson or indeed others who have spoken in this debate. I have tried to approach it from a very rational and reasonable approach. I have children as many in this House do. Like many of us I would be horrified if one of my children—either male or female—said: “Dad this is what I want to do with my life.” or “Dad I can make some quick money doing this and buy the car the boat the house or whatever it is I want.” Where do I stand in my position relative to that child if prostitution is acceptable in society? I have heard the arguments. It is a difficult position for many people to be in but on balance I have decided not to support this bill.