Airwaves blue over red-light freedoms

27.06.2003
By CLAIRE TREVETT

It was the day the airwaves turned blue. Everywhere you turned on the dial there was only one subject everyone wanted to talk about - sex.

Sex, sex and more sex.

If the heart of middle New Zealand was out there on the talkback shows of the country, then it was a passionate one, albeit a little confused over all the details of the Prostitution Reform Bill.

For some it was a break from the Christian traditions they saw as underpinning legislative history. Debate raged over the religious effrontery of the bill, and there was much discussion of whether Ashraf Choudhary should wear the blame as the MP whose abstention was seen by many as the decisive vote.

Many supported a two-thirds requirement to change such important legislation.

Newstalk ZB host Leighton Smith did his utmost to explain the reasoning behind the conscience vote.

However, one outraged woman remained convinced the Labour Government was to blame, declaring the bill's passing would be Prime Minister Helen Clark's Waterloo.

Feedback ranged from Margaret who said, "I do not feel very patriotic today. In fact I think all flags should be flying at half-mast", to a former brothel neighbour who said, "Those girls couldn't have been nicer".

Caller John came out with the pithy "With one flick of the switch, the red-light district has been changed into a green-light one", before saying the lighting change had "destroyed the whole meaning and purpose of our human sexuality".

A more moderate caller was "amazed at the emotion and anger. We need to be honest about the society we live in. Whether it's legal or illegal, there is a portion of our society that chooses to live like that."

Another caller said it would be a wise time to invest in the industry.

Throughout the discussion the questions raged: Will it be easy to bring in girls from Thailand? Will prostitutes have to pay taxes? Will they add GST? If the service is not of a high enough quality can you demand your money back under the Consumer Guarantees Act?

"The implications are massive," one caller reported. "If they produce a child, is it to be paid for forever by ACC because it's the product of an accident at work?"

Sex and ACC. Now that's something to ponder.

Herald Feature: Prostitution Law Reform