NSW Sex Workers Rights

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Open Letter To The Premier of NSW, Mr Morris Iemma

The Big Bosses of the sex industry have misled you into helping them shut down their competition. The Adult Business Association (ABA) has led a scare campaign against the smaller, independent brothels and home based independent workers, who have not been able to have Development Applications approved by Local Councils. This is mostly due to;

1) Many Local Councils refusing ALL Development Applications for sex industry businesses
and
2) Lack of money to over-ride local council decisions through the Land and Environment Court

This has led to only the "big business" brothels who can afford the court costs to acquire approved DA's.

The recent changes made by your government with the Brothels Amendment Act has only served to help the "big businesses" of the sex industry shut down their competition. In recent media, the ABA has declared war on those brothels who could not afford to take their local councils to court to enforce the approval of DA's, where the "moral hysteria" has prevented any sex industry businesses in their area being approved.

The approval of a DA only shows that the Brothel Owner has enough money, not that they are a good employer and that they treat their staff, the sex workers, properly. There is no evidence that the health and safety of workers and clients are any better in DA approved premises those without.

This campaign by moralistic councils intent of eliminating the sex trade totally from their areas, and the big bosses of the sex trade helping to remove their competition, only serves to drive a large part of the industry underground, making the working conditions more dangerous for the sex workers, the men and women who work in the industry and also opening up for renewed police &/or council corruption.

In addition to this, the current definition of Brothel also includes some small home based business's (where there are 2 or more home based sex workers) which are also a target of these new laws, potentially unfairly evicting people from their homes.

We demand that the NSW Government changes the definition of Brothel to exclude all home based work and compel the Local Councils to fully implement the Sex Services Premises Planning Guidelines & to treat the sex services industry in a similar manner to other commercial enterprises.

79 Signatures

  • Ashkara Sands
  • jenni gamble
    • Occupation
    • social worker
  • Shelle Mulvay
  • Kane Matthews
    • Occupation
    • Sex Worker
    • Suburb
    • Sydney
  • Brandon Bear
    • Occupation
    • Health Worker
    • Suburb
    • Darlington
  • Saul Isbister
    • Comments
    • It is disgraceful that local councils are now the bullying pimps for big brothel bosses
    • Occupation
    • sex worker
    • Suburb
    • 2044
  • Marisa Ingleton
    • Comments
    • В
    • Occupation
    • В
    • Suburb
    • В
  • steven zanuttini
    • Occupation
    • IT Helpdesk
    • Suburb
    • greenacre
  • Sam Stott
  • B.Gardner
    • Comments
    • This legislation is unfair
    • Occupation
    • Manager
    • Suburb
    • Glebe
  • Nicole Barakat
    • Comments
    • В
    • Occupation
    • В
    • Suburb
    • В
  • Julie Bates
    • Comments
    • Uphold the original intent of the 1995 planning reforms ....act on evidence based amenity realities.
    • Occupation
    • town planning adviser
    • Suburb
    • Drlinghurst
  • norrie mAy-welby
    • Comments
    • The government is colluding with mafia-like elements in allowing them (the big brothel owners, many closely aligned with bikie gangs and "debt collectors" and dealers and such) bigger monopolies in the sex industry against private workers
    • Occupation
    • Artist
    • Suburb
    • Redfern
  • Jullianne
  • Nicolette Burrows
    • Occupation
    • harm reduction community educator + sex worker
    • Suburb
    • sydney
  • Davina Hurt
    • Comments
    • Having worked in several of the businesses belonging to the ABA I can truthfully report that the owners of these establishments have little or no concern about the health and welfare of sex workers working for them, rather their interest in workers extends only to how much money the worker can generate for their business. The owners of all the ABA associated establishments I have worked for have indiscriminately violated OH&S regulations and the law to maximize their profits. It is standard practice for owners of these businesses to - fine workers for being minutes late to start a shift or for taking 5 minutes too long to emerge from a booking ; charge workers a shift fee for the privilege of working at the establishment; withhold workers' pay as a bond (or guarantee the worker will return to the business to continue working) ; confiscate workers earnings to return to unsatisfied clients ; insist workers continue to work despite physical illness or emotional fatigue ; insist workers socialize with clien
    • Occupation
    • sex worker
  • Madeline Thorne
    • Comments
    • ; insist workers continue to work despite physical illness or emotional fatigue ; insist workers socialize with clients for extended periods of time without guarantee the client will actually book the worker ; and to search the personal property of workers, sometimes without the worker being present or giving her permission. Furthermore, all the owners of the "legal brothels" I worked for treated workers as though they were employees of the business rather than independent contractors (which brothel based sex workers are defined as by brothel owners, primarily for tax reasons). Despite being treated as an employee there were none of the benefits of actually being one, yet all the owners refused to acknowledge any rights the workers had as an independent contractor!!
    • Occupation
    • sex worker
  • Courtney Itch
    • Comments
    • Unfortunately because of the slimy business tactics used by these owners, these brothels often attract a steady stream of clients. These slimy tactics include : refunding half the price paid for a service (money always confiscated from the workers wages and never from the businesss cut) to unsatisfied customers in an attempt to encourage return business; or bullying workers to provide extra services (most commonly oral sex without a condom or anal sex) to special (i.e. regular) customers in the hope of retaining his loyalty (and ongoing business). With the establishment of the ABA, it seems these tactics have become more sophisticated and now rely exclusively on an ongoing media campaign fueled by lies and misrepresentations, solely intended to discredit any competing businesses.. As the government, you are the power body which dictates the policies which directly affect my life and the standard of life of tens of thousands of my fellow sex workers across NSW; your policies decide if my/our livelihoo
    • Occupation
    • sex worker
  • Candy Pest
    • Comments
    • are criminal or legit. As far as I can tell, thus far your policies toward the sex industry and sex industry establishments have been directly influenced by the ABA. Have your advisors actually had any meaningful consultation with actual sex workers (not sex industry business owners dont confuse the two as our agendas are totally different) prior to drafting legislation directly affecting the sex industry? Perhaps if you began by speaking to sex workers who have actually worked in businesses owned by ABA members you would be exposed to the true priorities of these people. They dont care about the workers who make them their riches, they couldnt care less about upholding community standards or preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections- all these power gluttons want is to control the entire NSW sex industry via your legislation!!
    • Occupation
    • sex worker
  • Sabina Nowak
    • Comments
    • Protect the rights of sex workers to choose a safe place to work. Make sex work safe and legal. Stop targeting sex workers and hassle the real crims!.
  • Judith Butler
  • Rodd Hills
    • Suburb
    • Sydney
  • Katrina Fox
  • Spencer
    • Comments
    • Sex Workers have families to support, and have lives. They are human beings, and deserve to be treated as such, not as second class citizens. It's time Australia woke up in regards to sex worker's rights. They are HUMAN.
  • Tom Pryce
    • Comments
    • Sex has always been a commodity. What's different now?
    • Occupation
    • Harm Reduction Officer
    • Suburb
    • Darwin
  • Ele Morrison
    • Comments
    • В
    • Occupation
    • Project Advisor
    • Suburb
    • В
  • Patrick Kavanagh
    • Occupation
    • AOD worker
  • Shabnam Hameed
  • Steve Robinson
    • Occupation
    • Drug and Alcohol Worker
  • Tamsin Baker
    • Comments
    • Mr Iemma, NSW has many examples of how increased powers to council ups the likelihood of corruptive practices, undermining sex workers access to civil, human, industrial, economic, cultural livelihood. Please wake up to the fact the changes passed with the Brothel Ammendment Act only serve to undermine health promotion and human rights efforts to reduce the violence, stigma, and discrimination faced by sex workers. It also serves to undermine Australia's international reputation in being recognised for leadership in best practice approaches with sex workers. Dont allow a landslide erosion of Australia's gains and leadership in this area. Sex workers and the broader community will all be negatively affected. Support principles of empowerment, self-determination, and industrial protections accorded any other business. Show that our parliarment takes leadership in accordence with Australia's 'fair go' culture, rather than succumbing to moral opinions, support a rights based approach within Australia
    • Suburb
    • Melbourne
  • Elena Jeffreys
  • Benjamin Patrick Mills
    • Comments
    • Your elected to lead and represent ALL Australians, even those your neo-conservative Christian morals dont agree with.
    • Occupation
    • Student
    • Suburb
    • Wyong
  • Jonathan Moylan
    • Occupation
    • Student
    • Suburb
    • Waratah
  • Alexander Dickson
    • Suburb
    • Callaghan
  • Blake Stephens
    • Comments
    • Fairs Fair.. Workers are workers, and sex worker should be regulated like any other industry, and given the same standards!
    • Occupation
    • Union Organiser
    • Suburb
    • Newtown
  • jane dicka
    • Occupation
    • peer educator
    • Suburb
    • fitzroy (vic)
  • Nadia Samperi
    • Occupation
    • University Student
  • Andrew Holland
    • Occupation
    • Union Industrial Officer
    • Suburb
    • Petersham
  • michael ross lee
  • D Faddoul
  • Kris Gesling
    • Suburb
    • Raymond Terrace
  • Oliver Levingston
  • lily hartley
  • David Macqueen
    • Suburb
    • NEWTOWN
  • Sarah Barry
  • fiona clarke
    • Occupation
    • harm reduction peer-educator
    • Suburb
    • The Narrows NT
  • Roxanne Baker C.M.A.
    • Occupation
    • President of The National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
  • Tyra Barry
  • Uri Auerbach
  • Erin Lee Laurence
    • Occupation
    • Student
    • Suburb
    • Stockton 2295