PM's Former Press Secretary Allegedly Records Wellington Sex Workers, Sparks Calls for Privacy Law Reform

Michael Forbes, the former deputy chief press secretary to New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, is accused of secretly recording audio sessions with Wellington sex workers and capturing images of women without their consent. A brothel madam confronted Forbes after a sex worker discovered recordings on his phone, which she then handed to the police. Despite the police investigation, the case was not prosecuted as it did not meet the criminal threshold. The madam and the sex workers involved have called for urgent reforms to privacy laws to better protect individuals, especially women and sex workers, from covert recordings and exploitation. They emphasized the pervasive issue of non-consensual recordings and the power imbalances that leave victims vulnerable and unprotected. Prime Minister Luxon stated that Forbes failed to disclose these incidents during his vetting process, which would have led to termination of his employment had they been revealed.