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Volume 9, Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Key’s prostitution Bill welcomed by some in Andamooka F
By Millie Thomas
ormer minister, Honourable Steph Key, and Status of Women Minister Gail Gago’s attempt to introduce a Bill to decriminalise prostitution in South Australia on May 31 will help eliminate prostitution’s association with underground crime it has been reported. As reported in AdelaideNow, the Bill will decriminalise all forms of prostitution, including at home, in brothels, escort services and some street work, but retain soliciting as an offence where it occurred in the presence of other people. Ms Key said current legislation does not acknowledge sex work occurring in South Australia and is outmoded. She said decriminalisation of the act in New Zealand and New South Wales are models she would like followed. “I might add that the end of civilisation hasn’t happened because they’ve taken that decision,” Ms Key told The Monitor. Notably, the Bill does not include provisions on the locality of brothels, after almost 30 submissions from local governments and lawyers outlined the difficulty of policing the matter, AdelaideNow also reported. However, last week Ms Key said she would revisit the provision. “I’ve been asked by my colleagues to actually reconsider putting in a provision in regards to location and I’m getting
some legal advice about how I can do that in a minimalist way. “One of the realities is if for example you have a sex work premise, brothel, the location of that needs to be thought about, so we’ve had plenty of examples, and I’m sure there’s country examples as well. “It’s an issue, and it’s certainly an issue I respect. So the issue of maintaining people’s public spaces, so I’m trying to sort of work on that at the moment,” she said. “The main thing I’m trying to achieve and was certainly trying to achieve in the previous bill was that sex work should be treated the same as any other work in the community.” Andamooka Progress Opal Miners Association (APOMA) Chairperson Peter Allen said criminally influenced prostitution was a major issue in Andamooka during the last Olympic Dam mine expansion. “A bikie group came in and set up a brothel and were here for a few years and had a very negative impact on some of the people in town at that time,” explained Mr Allen. “I know personally of a couple who were badly affected by it and of course that’s always the problem.” Mr Allen told The Monitor prostitution wasn’t the issue, however the influence of the underground crime managing the prostitution had wide adverse effects. “We can’t pretend it’s not going to happen because it bloody well will!” he exclaimed. “Prostitution perse is fine, and a necessary thing…Provid-
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ing it’s done properly and sensibly I don’t have a problem with it and it should happen. “Decriminalise it, it’s not going to make any difference other than probably making better control happen, because it will then probably litigate against the criminal elements getting involved. “Whilst it’s swept under the carpet, we will wear the bulk of the problem.” Ms Key agreed with Mr Allen’s statements in saying; “I think the Andamooka example is typical of a lot of particularly mining communities around Australia. “It would seem to me that if people, if things were brought out into the light so to speak that would make it more difficult for there to be connections with criminal elements. “But at the moment because it’s illegal, people have to creep around and make out it’s not happening, and if there is blackmail or standover or drug distribution associated with sex work, then there’s very little you can do about it.”
Criminally influenced prostitution was a major issue in Andamooka during the last Olympic Dam mine expansion.
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