Tim Barnett
Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central
Senior Government Whip
May 23rd 2008
Reform Of Prostitution Law A Success
Tim Barnett, sponsor of the Prostitution Reform Bill between 2000 and 2003 and Member of Parliament for Christchurch
Central, has welcomed the publication of the report of the independent Review Committee on that law reform.
Tim said today:
“New Zealand was the first country in the world to decriminalise prostitution, building on the model which had operated
in New South Wales since 1996. The law went through rigorous Parliamentary and public scrutiny, and fundamentally
rebuilt the whole legal environment around prostitution. It increased penalties for genuinely harmful activity and
protected sex workers from criminalisation, which trapped people in sex work rather than deterring them”.
“I developed the amendment to the Bill which introduced the review process to ensure that debate after law reform was
not driven by its opponents telling untruths about its impact. I have been happy to step back and see the operation of
the law on the ground examined by researchers and other experts. They have produced an outstanding report which will be
gold-dust for the very many countries searching for sensible researched and proven law in this area. This we now have”.
ENDS