9 Sep 2010

Council's new bid to outlaw street prostitution

1:01 pm on 9 September 2010

The Manukau City Council is making another attempt to rid South Auckland of street prostitution.

The Regulation of Prostitution in Specified Places Bill, which is being sponsored by Labour MP George Hawkins, passed its first reading in Parliament on Wednesday night by 82 votes to 36.

The bill gives the council the power to use bylaws to ban prostitution in certain public places and the police the ability to arrest anyone breaching the rules.

The council tried to implement a similar bill in 2006, which would have outlawed street prostitution in the city completely, but that was rejected.

Mr Hawkins hopes a conscience vote rather than a party vote this time around might provide a solution to what he says has been a 20-year problem.