Member's Day

Today is a member's Day, the first one of the year. And its an important one. First up there's the second reading of the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill, which is the Christian right's latest attempt to recriminalise prostitution by the back door. A select committee has recommended that it not be passed, so it'll probably fail. In which case on past behaviour I expect they'll just waste more of Auckland ratepayer's money trying again next year. Second is the third reading of the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months' Paid Leave) Amendment Bill. Sadly, despite the departure of Mike Sabin to spend more time with his lawyer, this will fail - while the vote will be 60-60, that's a loss. Still, its close and shows that the opposition can work together on this issue.

Once the main events are over, there's the second reading of Kennedy Graham's Register of Pecuniary Interests of Judges Bill, followed by the second reading of Tracey Martin's Social Security (Clothing Allowances for Orphans and Unsupported Children) Amendment Bill. The House is unlikely to get further than that, which is good as it gives John Campbell more time to build the (already pretty overwhelming, unless you have more than $50 million and live in Remuera) case for the the Harawira / Turei "feed the kids" bill.

There's still plenty of first readings stacked up on the Order Paper, and we're still at least a month from a ballot.

Reported back

The Local Government and Environment Committee has finally - after four years - reported back on the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill and recommended that it not be passed. Good. The bill was an effort by South Auckland moral conservatives to recriminalise prostitution piecemeal, one council at a time. Its was both contrary to the expressed will of Parliament and a dangerous balkanisation of New Zealand law - not to mention simply stupid social policy. The select committee has grasped this, and instead recommended that the Auckland Council regulate street prostitutes as street traders and reduce its impacts by installing public toilets and better lighting. Which is a sensible solution, but unlikely to satisfy those moral conservatives who want to turn the clock back to the days when prostitutes were effectively outside the law.

The bill is likely to be voted down next member's day, in early February. And good riddance to it. Unfortunately its already come back from the dead once, and Auckland might simply keep wasting Parliament's time on this issue.

Member's Day

Today is a Member's Day, but a boring but worthy one. First up is a local bill aimed at correcting a 160-year-old injustice. Following that there's the Committee Stage of of Jacqui Dean's Conservation (Natural Heritage Protection) Bill, which should also have wide agreement. If that goes quickly, then the House may make further progress on Cam Calder's Summary Offences (Possession of Hand-held Lasers) Amendment Bill. There won't be a ballot unless the House goes extra-fast and makes a start on Le'aufa'amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor Sentencing (Protection of Children from Criminal Offending) Amendment Bill.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Local Government and Environment Committee has kicked the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill for another six months, to March 2014. This bill has now been before the Committee for three years, and while they've had to consider some changes due to the Auckland Supercity, they've had more than enough time to do so. Time to let it loose and vote it down.

Delayed again

This week, the Local Government and Environment Committee produced an interim report [PDF] on the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill.. Originally limited to South Auckland, the new Auckland Council wants to extend it over the whole of Auckland - allowing them to effectively recriminalise prostitution and place sex-workers outside the protection of the law in an area containing one-third of our total population. This is a pretty big change to a bill people weren't that keen on in the first place, so its been opened up for public submissions again. Unfortunately, the Parliamentary website doesn't have any details on when you can submit, but it means that the committee's final report on the bill has now been pushed back until the end of July.

So, we won't be seeing a vote on this any time soon. Which in turn means even more time before Auckland's wowsers can waste more ratepayer's money on another futile attempt at turning back the clock.

Update: Information on submitting on the bill and Auckland Council's SOP is here.

More good news on Auckland prostitution ban

While I was doing the maths on the VSM bill, I noticed something: the select committee report on the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill has been pushed back from this week to the dissolution of Parliament on October 20. It may be a procedural measure to smooth passage for Roy's bill, or it may be because the Committee genuinely can't be bothered spending time on a bill which everyone now acknowledges is going to be voted down. But either way, its not going to be voted on this term, and the delay will mean that it will be 2013 before Auckland's wowsers can try again. A small victory, but a victory all the same.

Good news on Auckland prostitution ban

It looks like the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill - which is being extended to cover the whole of Auckland - is going to be voted down:

A bill giving Auckland Council the power to ban street prostitution in public places like Hunters Corner and Northcrest looks unlikely to be passed into law, the MP sponsoring it says.

Manurewa MP George Hawkins says soundings among MPs from all parties indicate the bill "won't get very far at all" even if it gets out of select committee before the November elections. There's little support for it, despite MPs voting 82-36 last September to send it for public submissions, Mr Hawkins says.

"People from right across the House weren't in favour of seeing the bill passed into law but they were prepared to let people have their say on it in select committee."

This is good news. The bill was an abomination which would have effectively overturned the Prostitution Reform Act in Auckland, reducing prostitutes to outlaws again and allowing them to be victimised and abused at will. The problem it purported to solve was one of Manukau City Council's own making, caused by their attempts to outlaw small brothels. I'd like to think that the bill failing a second time (it has already been voted down once) will cause them to rethink their approach and remove the ban which is causing the problem; sadly, I suspect they'll simply put it up again, in the hope of getting it through if they just keep on whining.

Rodney Hide's bastard offspring

Last year, Rodney Hide foisted a supercity on Auckland, amalgamating parts of it that didn't want to be amalgamated, under a council structure designed to shut Aucklanders out of the government of their own city. Now, that amalgamation is having some unforseen consequences. Back in 2010, Len Brown's Manukau City Council put forward a local bill to recriminalise street prostitution in their district - a singularly bad idea which would have returned prostitutes to the status of outlaws, allowing them to be victimised and abused at will. Now, thanks to Rodney Hide, that bill is going to be extended to cover the whole of Auckland.

The details are in the latest Puketapapa Local Board agenda [PDF], as item 18. The council is putting up a supplementary order paper to amend the scope of the bill to cover all of Auckland. Which means that the council will be able to impose their particular moral view not just on the people of Manukau, but also on the rest of Auckland as well. The bill is currently before a select committee, but is scheduled to report back in early September - just in time for the election.

The amendments mean that the bill is no longer what was voted on at first reading. Those who helped pass it to select committee - the list of the guilty is here - might want to consider whether they really support the effective recriminalisation of prostitution, with all the evil that that entails, in New Zealand's largest city. And if they do, they should have the guts to be open and honest about it, rather than hiding behind a collection of local body wowsers.

Auckland council wants to ban prostitution

The Auckland SuperCouncil has voted to support the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill. While the bill originally applied only to Manukau, the creation of the Auckland supercity means its scope has been expanded to cover the whole of Auckland - effectively exempting our largest city (and a quarter of the population) from the scope of the Prostitution Reform Act. If passed, it means that that area will go back to the dark ages, with prostitution being illegal in "specified areas" (which will likely mean "almost everywhere", as it does in Wanganui with gang patches), and prostitutes subject to police harassment and arrest which will effectively place them outside the protection of the law. It will also mean the creation of a de-facto federal state, with separate laws in Auckland from the rest of the country.

The Stuff article has a list of the guilty parties: Len Brown, Cameron Brewer, Sandra Coney, Chris Fletcher, Mike Lee, Des Morrison, Calum Penrose, Noelene Raffills, Sharon Stewart, John Walker, and George Wood. These councillors hate women, they hate civil liberties, and they hate the idea that the state has no business in people's sex lives. Remember that at the next local government election.

Submission

Below is the draft of my submission on the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill:

1. I oppose the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill for the following reasons:
2. The bill seeks to reverse the effects of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 by effectively recriminalising prostitution within the bounds of Manukau City. While Manukau has a problem with streetwalkers, it is largely a problem of its own making, caused by the effective outlawing of small brothels by local bylaws.¹ While this bill targets street prostitutes and their clients, when considered in combination with existing bylaws the effect would be to outlaw the entire sex industry within Manukau. This is clearly contrary to the intent of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003.
3. Recriminalising prostitution in Manukau would once again place sex workers outside the law, allowing them to be victimized with impunity. The PRA was passed precisely to end that situation. Any response should be based on the paradigm of harm-minimization, not on recriminalisation.
4. In 2005, a similar bill (the Manukau City Council (Control of Street Prostitution) Bill) was rejected by the House. At the time, the Local Government and Environment Committee noted [PDF] that the bill

   would present enforcement and jurisdictional difficulties. While local legislation typically addresses issues unique to a particular locality and does not involve itself with the criminal law, this local bill creates offences that criminalise behaviour that exists throughout New Zealand. If the bill were passed, citizens would be subject to conflicting criminal laws, depending on their current geographical location.

   It rejected this balkanization of New Zealand law, as well as the implicit attempt to overturn the PRA through local legislation.
5. The current bill has exactly the same problem. That alone is enough reason to reject it.
6. A review of the problem by the Ministry of Justice found that outlawing street prostitution in Manukau was unlikely to be effective, and would instead simply move street prostitutes to other areas while impairing their health and safety. It recommended a local community response instead.
7. The penalties for soliciting proposed by the Bill are disproportionate and draconian, and ten times higher than those which existed before decriminalization. If the bill is passed, these penalties should be reduced.
8. I do not wish to appear before the Committee.

¹ Chapter 3 [PDF] of the Manukau City Consolidated Bylaw 2008 restricts brothels to land zoned Business 4, 5, or 6, and not within 250m or sight of the entrance to a school, church, or community facility. This effectively restricts brothels to the outskirts of the city.

Submit!

The Local Government and Environment Committee has called for submissions on the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill. Two copies, by , to:

Local Government and Environment Committee Secretariat
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Or use the handy form to submit online.

The bill would recriminalise street prostitution in Manukau City, with penalties ten times higher than those which applied when the law was changed in 2003. This would recreate the pre-reform situation, placing prostitutes outside the protection of the law and allowing them to be victimised and preyed upon with impunity. It is a deeply misogynistic piece of legislation, made all the more repulsive by the Orwellian claim of its supporters (including George Hawkins and Su'a William Sio) that it is somehow "protecting" women.

If you don't know how to make a submission, the Clerk has a handy guide here [PDF].

Manukau prostitution v2.0: The vote

So, who voted for the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill? Thanks to a source in Parliament, here are the details:

Ayes

Noes

Amy Adams (National, Selwyn) Shane Ardern (National, Taranaki-King Country) Chris Auchinvole (National, Est Coast-Tasman) Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi (National, List) David Bennett (National, Hamilton East) Paula Bennett (National, Waitakere) Jackie Blue (National, List) Chester Borrows (National, Whanganui) John Boscawen (ACT, List) Simon Bridges (National, Tauranga) Gerry Brownlee (National, Ilam) Cam Calder (National, List) David Carter (National, List) John Carter (National, Northland) Ashraf Choudhary (Labour, List) David Clendon (Green, List) Jonathan Coleman (National, Northcote) Judith Collins (National, Papakura) Clayton Cosgrove (Labour, Waimakariri) Kelvin Davis (Labour, List) Jacqui Dean (National, Waitaki) Roger Douglas (ACT, List) Bill English (National, Clutha-Southland) Chris Finlayson (National, List) Craig Foss (National, Tukituki) David Garrett (ACT, List) Aaron Gilmore (National, List) Phil Goff (Labour, Mt Roskill) Jo Goodhew (National, Rangitata) Sandra Goudie (National, Coromandel) Kennedy Graham (Green, List) Tim Groser (National, List) Nathan Guy (National, Otaki) George Hawkins (Labour, Manurewa) John Hayes (National, Wairarapa) Phil Heatley (National, Whangarei) Tau Henare (National, List) Rodney Hide (ACT, List) Pete Hodgson (Labour, Dunedin North) Raymond Huo (Labour, List) Paul Hutchison (National, Hunua) Shane Jones (Labour, List) Steven Joyce (National, List) Nikki Kaye (National, Auckland Central) John Key (National, Helensville) Colin King (National, kaikoura) Melissa Lee (National, List) Pesata Sam Lotu-Iiga (National, Maungakiekie) Tim Macindoe (National, Hamilton West) Nanaia Mahuta (Labour, Hauraki-Waikato) Wayne Mapp (National, North Shore) Todd McClay (National, Rotorua) Murray McCully (National, East Coast Bays) Stuart Nash (Labour, List) Damien O’Connor (Labour, List) Hekia Parata (National, List) David Parker (Labour, List) Allan Peachey (National, Tamaki) Simon Power (National, Rangitikei) Rajen Prasad (Labour, List) Paul Quinn (National, List) Mita Ririnui (Labour, List) H V Ross Robertson (Labour, Manukau East) Eric Roy (National, Invercargill) Heather Roy (ACT, List) Tony Ryall (National, Bay of Plenty) Katrina Shanks (National, List) Su'a William Sio (Labour, Mangere) Lockwood Smith (National, Rodney) Nick Smith (National, Nelson) Georgina Te HeuHeu (National, List) Lindsay Tisch (National, Waikato) Anne Tolley (National, East Coast) Chris Tremain (National, Napier) Phil Twyford (Labour, List) Louise Upston (National, Taupo) Nicky Wagner (National, List) Kate Wilkinson (National, List) Maurice Williamson (National, Pakuranga) Pansy Wong (National, Botony) Michael Woodhouse (National, List) Jonathan Young (National, New Plymouth)

Jacinda Ardern (Labour, List) Rick Barker (Labour, List) Carol Beaumont (Labour, List) Brendon Burns (Labour, Christchurch Central) Steve Chadwick (Labour, List) Charles Chauvel (Labour, List) David Cunliffe (Labour, New Lynn) Clare Curran (Labour, Dunedin South) Lianne Dalziel (Labour, Christchurch East) Catherine Delahunty (Green, List) Ruth Dyson (Labour, Port Hills) Darien Fenton (Labour, List) Te Ururoa Flavell Kevin Hague (Green, List) Hone Harawira (Maori Party, Te Tai Tokerau) Chris Hipkins (Labour, Rimutuka) Parakura Horomia (Labour, Ikaroa-Rawhiti) Darren Hughes (Labour, List) Gareth Hughes (Green, List) Rahui Katene (Maori Party, Te Tai Tonga) Sue Kedgley (Green, List) Annette King (Labour, Rongotai) Luamanuvao Winnie Laban (Labour, Mana) Iain Lees-Galloway (Labour, Palmerston North) Keith Locke (Green, List) Moana Mackey (Labour, List) Trevor Mallard (Labour, Hutt South) Sue Moroney (Labour, List) Lynne Pillay (Labour, List) Grant Robertson (Labour, Wellington Central) Carmel Sepuloni (Labour, List) Pita Sharlples (Maori Party, Tamaki-Makauru) David Shearer (Labour, Mt Albert) Maryan Street (Labour, List) Metiria Turei (Green, List) Tariana Turia (Maori Party, Te Tai Hauauru)

No vote was recorded for Jim Anderton, Chris Carter, Peter Dunne and Russel Norman.

As for patterns, the generational divide among Labour is again very apparent, with the majority of its new, young intake opposing the bill. The Greens split their vote, with newer MPs David Clendon and Kennedy Graham voting in favour; its a worrying sign that the party is backing away from social liberalism, and we'll have to keep an eye on them. National, dominated by social conservatives, bloc-voted for the bill. And ACT once again showed that the only freedom it actually cares about is the freedom of the rich not to pay taxes, with unanimous support (even from Hide and Roy, who had opposed this measure last time round).

Some of those voting in favour may have done so because its a local bill, and manukau City deserves a hearing for its money. So its not lost yet. But such a large first-reading majority is a very worrying sign. And as we've seen with the Whanganui gang-patch bill, these sorts of local measures end up being district-wide bans, and create pressure for similar legislation in other areas.

Recriminalising prostitution

Last night, Parliament voted 82 - 36 to send the Manukau City Council (Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill to select committee. The bill empowers the Manukau City Council to pass bylaws prohibiting street prostitution in specified areas. The net result will be to recriminalise prostitution in Manukau

This is clearly contrary to the intent of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. That Act decriminalised prostitution, both on liberal grounds and because criminalisation allowed the victimisation and exploitation of prostitutes. If they went to the police, they'd be fined, or pressured into serving as informants in drug-cases on pain of being fined, or worse. The result was that they didn't, leaving them outside the protection of the law.

The new bill will effectively recreate that situation in Manukau. Except that it will be worse, because the fine for soliciting in a "specified place" (which will likely mean any major street) is ten times larger than it was before decriminalisation. The result: prostitutes will be effectively excluded from legal protection, free to be victimised, unpeople - again.

This is an appalling bill, and I am appalled that so many MPs - including many who should know better - voted for it. What's worse is that those who spoke in support tried to spin this as a measure to protect prostitutes. Bullshit. Placing people outside the law does not protect them - it just allows them to be abused with impunity. Those who voted for this bill should be feeling deeply, deeply ashamed of themselves right now.

Like a zombie from the grave

Four years ago, Parliament voted down the Manukau City Council (Control of Street Prostitution) Bill, which aimed to ban prostitution within Manukau. But bad ideas never die (just look at NeoLiberal economics), and thanks to Labour's wowser-in-chief, George Hawkins, the bill is back, like a zombie from the grave.

The new version removes the most odious provisions of the old bill, which were formally recognised as violating the BORA. But the core is still there: a local ban on street prostitution, so the Decent Folk of Manukau won't have to be reminded that not everyone shares their values. This is both illiberal and constitutionally improper; the Parliament of New Zealand has legalised prostitution, and it is not the place of local authorities to second-guess that decision.

The bill is a local bill, so it will take precedence on the Order Paper on Wednesday next member's day. I'll be paying close attention to the vote.

Correction: The bill is up for first reading next member's day, not this one.

Manukau prostitution: the vote

Tim Barnett's office was kind enough to email me scans of the tally sheets for the vote on the Manukau City Council (Control of Street Prostitution) Bill, so here are the details:

Ayes

• Jim Anderton (Progressive Coalition, Wigram)
• Chris Auchinvole (National, List)
• David Bennett (National, Hamilton East)
• Jackie Blue (National, List)
• Chester Borrows (National, Whanganui)
• Peter Brown (New Zealand First, List)
• Gerry Brownlee (National, Ilam)
• David Carter (National, List)
• John Carter (National, Northland)
• Bob Clarkson (National, Tauranga)
• Johnathan Coleman (National, Northcote)
• Judith Collins (National, Clevedon)
• Gordon Copeland (United Future, List)
• Jacqui Dean (National, Otago)
• Brian Donnelly (New Zealand First, List)
• Peter Dunne (United Future, Ohariu-Belmont)
• Bill English (National, Clutha-Southland)
• Taito Phillip Field (Labour, Mangere)
• Craig Foss (National, Tukituki)
• Sandra Goudie (National, Coromandel)
• Tim Groser (National, List)
• Nathan Guy (National, List)
• George Hawkins (Labour, Manurewa)
• Phillip Heatley (National, Whangarei)
• Paul Hutchison (National, Port Waikato)
• John Key (National, Helensville)
• Colin King (National, kaikoura)
• Wayne Mapp (National, North Shore)
• Ron Mark (New Zealand First, List)
• Pita Paraone (New Zealand First, List)
• Allan Peachey (National, Tamaki)
• Winston Peters (New Zealand First, List)
• Ross Robertson (Labour, Manukau East)
• Eric Roy (National, Invercargill)
• Tony Ryall (National, Bay of Plenty)
• Nick Smith (National, Nelson)
• Barbara Stewart (New Zealand First, List)
• Paul Swain (Labour, Rimutaka)
• Lindsay Tisch (National, Piako)
• Anne Tolley (National, East Coast)
• Chris Tremain (National, Napier)
• Judy Turner (United Future, List)
• Nicky Wagner (National, List)
• Kate Wilkinson (National, List)
• Maurice Williamson (National, Pakuranga)
• Doug Woolerton (New Zealand First, List)

Noes

• Rick Barker (Labour, List)
• Tim Barnett (Labour, Christchurch Central)
• Paula Bennett (National, List)
• David Benson-Pope (Labour, Dunedin South)
• Georgina Beyer (Labour, List)
• Mark Blumsky (National, List)
• Sue Bradford (Green, List)
• Don Brash (National, List)
• Mark Burton (Labour, Taupo)
• Chris Carter (Labour, Te Atatu)
• Steve Chadwick (Labour, Rotorua)
• Charles Chauvel (Labour, List)
• Ashraf Choudhary (Labour, List)
• Helen Clark (Labour, Mt Albert)
• Brian Connell (National, Rakaia)
• Clayton Cosgrove (Labour, Waimakariri)
• Michael Cullen (Labour, List)
• David Cunliffe (Labour, New Lynn)
• Lianne Dalziel (Labour, Christchurch East)
• Harry Duynhoven (Labour, New Plymouth)
• Ruth Dyson (Labour, Banks Peninsula)
• Russell Fairbrother (Labour, List)
• Darien Fenton (Labour, List)
• Christopher Finlayson (National, List)
• Jeanette Fitzsimons (Green, List)
• Te Ururoa Flavell (Maori Party, Waiariki)
• Martin Gallagher (Labour, Hamilton West)
• Phil Goff (Labour, Mt Roskill)
• Jo Goodhew (National, Aoraki)
• Mark Gosche (Labour, Maungakiekie)
• Hone Harawira (Maori Party, Te Tai Tokerau)
• Ann Hartley (Labour, List)
• John Hayes (National, Wairarapa)
• Tau Henare (National, List)
• Dave Hereora (Labour, List)
• Rodney Hide (ACT, Epsom)
• Marian Hobbs (Labour, Wellington Central)
• Pete Hodgson (Labour, Dunedein North)
• Parekura Horomia (Labour, Ikaroa-Rawhiti)
• Darren Hughes (Labour, Otaki)
• Shane Jones (Labour, List)
• Sue Kedgley (Green, List)
• Annette King (Labour, Rongotai)
• Winnie Laban (Labour, Mana)
• Keith Locke (Green, List)
• Moana Mackey (Labour, List)
• Steve Maharey (Labour, Palmerston North)
• Nanaia Mahuta (Labour, Tainui)
• Trevor Mallard (Labour, Hutt South)
• Murray McCully (National, East Coast Bays)
• Sue Moroney (Labour, List)
• Damien O'Connor (Labour, West Coast-Tasman)
• Mahara Okeroa (Labour, Te Tai Tonga)
• David Parker (Labour, List)
• Jill Pettis (Labour, List)
• Lynne Pillay (Labour, Waitakere)
• Simon Power (National, Rangitikei)
• Katherine Rich (National, List)
• Mita Ririnui (Labour, List)
• Heather Roy (ACT, List)
• Dover Samuels (Labour, List)
• Pita Sharples (Maori Party, Tamaki-Makaurau)
• Clem Simich (National, List)
• Lockwood Smith (National, Rodney)
• Nandor Tanczos (Green, List)
• Georgina te Heuheu (National, List)
• Judith Tizard (Labour, Auckland Central)
• Metiria Turei (Green, List)
• Tariana Turia (Maori Party, Te Tai Hauauru)
• Margaret Wilson (Labour, List)
• Pansy Wong (National, List)
• Richard Worth (National, List)
• Dianne Yates (Labour, List)

No vote is recorded for Shane Ardern or Maryan Street.

The results can also be viewed at the CommoNZ archive of conscience votes here (which allows them to be searched and compared with votes on previous bills).

So, Labour's usual suspects (Hawkins, Field, Swain and Robertson) supported it, while the rest opposed. Meanwhile, National turned out to have rather more liberals than expected (and strangely, Don Brash seems to have recovered his conscience, while John Key is now voting with the Brethren). The big surprises are that Jim Anderton supported it (showing that on social issues, the "progressives" aren't), while ACT acted like an actual liberal party for once.

And as a final note, I am constantly surprised at how helpful our MPs and Parliamentary staff are if you ask them nicely, and I wouldn't be able to do this sort of work without them.

Crunch day for Manukau prostitution

The Manukau City Council (Control of Street Prostitution) Bill is due for its second reading today. There's been little news about it since the Local Government and Environment Committee recommended that it not proceed, and I'm not even sure at this stage whether it will face a party vote or conscience vote. I suspect the latter, in which case I expect the bill to fail by a significant margin as National's liberals join with Labour (sans George Hawkins), the Greens, Maori Party and ACT in voting it down. I'll post news as soon as I hear it, and details of the vote when I can obtain them.

Defeating moral panic

The Local Government and Environment Committee has reported back [PDF] on the Manukau City Council (Control of Street Prostitution) Bill and recommended that it not proceed. The bill would have recriminalised prostitution in Manukau, contrary to the provisions of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003, and imposed draconian penalties for soliciting or related offences such as loitering. It would also have required anyone suspected of an offence to provide the police with their name and address, as well as the name and address and whereabouts of anyone connected with it - a breach of the right to silence of persons arrested or detained affirmed in s23(4) of the Bill of Rights.

As someone who submitted against the bill and argued exactly these points, I'm pleased to see that the committee has paid attention. And I'm also pleased to see yet another moral panic bill get an adverse report. The question now is whether George Hawkins will accept the committee's findings and discharge it, or whether he'll annoy his colleagues by pushing it to a vote...