Prostitution Reform Act 2003

Preliminary provisions

4: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What words mean in the Prostitution Reform Act"

When you read this Act, you need to know what some words mean. A brothel is a place where people go for prostitution. It does not include hotels or motels where people sometimes do prostitution, but that was arranged somewhere else.

You should understand that the business of prostitution is when people provide or arrange sexual services for money. A client is someone who pays for these services. Commercial sexual services are when someone does sexual acts with another person for money or a reward.

When you see the word premises, it means a building or a part of a building. Prostitution means providing commercial sexual services. A sex worker is someone who provides these services.

A public place is somewhere that people can go, like a park or a shop. It also includes things like buses, trains, and ferries that people pay to use. A small owner-operated brothel is a brothel with four or fewer sex workers, and they get to keep their own money.

If you see the word territorial authority, it means a local council, like the ones in cities or towns. You can find out more about what a territorial authority is in the Local Government Act 2002.

When the Act talks about providing or receiving commercial sexual services, it means doing it yourself, not getting someone else to do it for you. The Prostitution Law Review Committee is a group of people appointed under section 43.

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3: Purpose, or

"This law aims to make sex work safe and fair for those involved, while protecting their rights and health."


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5: Definition of operator, or

"Who is in charge of a prostitution business"

Part 1Preliminary provisions

4Interpretation

  1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    brothel means any premises kept or habitually used for the purposes of prostitution; but does not include premises at which accommodation is normally provided on a commercial basis if the prostitution occurs under an arrangement initiated elsewhere

      business of prostitution means a business of providing, or arranging the provision of, commercial sexual services

        client means a person who receives, or seeks to receive, commercial sexual services

          commercial sexual services means sexual services that—

          1. involve physical participation by a person in sexual acts with, and for the gratification of, another person; and
            1. are provided for payment or other reward (irrespective of whether the reward is given to the person providing the services or another person)

              member means a member of the Prostitution Law Review Committee

                premises includes a part of premises

                  prostitution means the provision of commercial sexual services

                    Prostitution Law Review Committee means the committee appointed under section 43

                      public place

                      1. means a place that is open to, or being used by, the public, whether admission is free or on payment of a charge and whether any owner or occupier of the place is lawfully entitled to exclude or eject a person from that place; and
                        1. includes any aircraft, hovercraft, ship, ferry, or other vessel, train, or vehicle carrying or available to carry passengers for reward

                          sex worker means a person who provides commercial sexual services

                            small owner-operated brothel means a brothel—

                            1. at which not more than 4 sex workers work; and
                              1. where each of those sex workers retains control over his or her individual earnings from prostitution carried out at the brothel

                                territorial authority has the same meaning as in section 5(1) of the Local Government Act 2002.

                                1. In this Act, a reference to providing or receiving commercial sexual services means to provide or receive those services personally (rather than arranging another person to provide the services or arranging for the services to be received by another person).