Importance Of Sex Work In Australia

In Australia our laws are officially recognised and are binding to everyone within the country and are dynamic, hence the need for reforms in particular areas of law to suit our society and the changing values we uphold. Federal laws criminalise sex slavery and sex trafficking, and sex work is criminalised in multiple states of Australia, as the laws regarding the sex industry are determined by individual state and territory governments. These laws must be reformed or examined as there is a need for change within our legal system to enhance justice, efficiency and safety within the sex industry. As it stands, in NSW, ACT, QLD and VIC sex work is legal, and regulated, but in WA, NT, TAS & SA independent work is legal, prostitution is not regulated

According to Section 19 of the Prostitution act of 1992 "A person must not, for the purpose of offering or procuring commercial sexual services, accost any person, or solicit or loiter, in a public place.” The Act also asks that brothels and private workers register with the Registrar of Brothels and escort agencies. Brothel owners must take responsibility to ensure that workers infected with an STI or HIV do not work, as the law states that sex workers are not allowed to work at a brothel or otherwise if they “could reasonably be expected to know” that they are “infected with a sexually transmissible infection.” These laws attempt to ensure that workers get regular medical tests, although it is illegal for a sex worker to use their results to imply that they have tested negative to STIs. There are laws relating to the age of workers and clients (18) along with the location of sex service premises, restricted to the suburbs Mitchell and Fyshwick. The law also states that condoms must be used for all penetrative sex. SOURCE “PROSTITUTION ACT

A recent study has found that Western Australia’s sex industry have stoked calls to decriminalise prostitution. The LASH (Law And Sex-Worker Health) study surveyed 354 Western Australia workers, citing the current law’s negative impact on the heath, wellbeing and safety of workers. According to the study, more than one in five sex workers had been assaulted in the previous 12 months, and almost 50 percent of those felt uncomfortable reporting these issues to the police. The survey included over 50 male sex workers.

Associate Professor Linda Selvey, from Curtin’s School of Public Health, said “There’s nothing wrong with private sex work: people enjoy working that way, they enjoy the flexibility and they are often very good at selecting clients out over the phone and looking after their own safety. But it really makes little sense why it would be illegal to do that work any other way.” She also said that due to heavy policing of sex work, workers move to unfamiliar areas to avoid arrest and potentially spend less time negotiating safe sex with clients, elevating worker’s risks of contracting STIs and/or