Firstly, at this paper for putting this story in “featured news” and secondly for promoting the opinions of sex workers who clearly have no understanding of the NSW legislation or how NSW sex workers feel. 

I am a sex worker in NSW. I tour to Wagga on a regular basis and I love the town. The clients are fantastic and I can’t say Wagga is a “gossip town” ... I’m not even sure what that means.

Recently, there was a study called The Lash Report prepared for the Minister of Health. In it was many facts about NSW sex workers. 

It made headlines such as “NSW best place in the world for sex workers” and other positive things. 

“The Lash Report was a continuation of research conducted by Professor Donovan and Dr Christine Harcourt out of the Sydney Sexual Health Centre over the past two decades or more,” one article reads. “It was time to see how the varying legislative responses around the country impact on the health and welfare of sex workers. 

“The earlier research had suggested that decriminalisation may offer the best outcomes but there was need to conduct broader population-based research to properly assess the health and welfare impacts of differing legal approaches to sex work.” (Taken from here)

NSW sex workers have no more or no less STIs than the general population and decriminalisation has played a big part in this. 

Sex workers have access to sexual health clinics and are tested of their own free will for any STIs, HIV, etc. 

In general, sex workers are happy with the way things are in NSW. 

There was a call out for submissions (that closed last week) regarding the regulation of brothels, which also touched on the licensing issue. I would like to share with you parts of my submission. 

I have been in the industry for about 11 years. I believe that NSW is doing the right thing now, decriminalising of the sex industry had created great changes to our industry and has improved working conditions and safeguarded our health. 

If there is any model we should be looking at, New Zealand’s idea is working well, but I think NSW as it stands right now is mostly a good example of how the sex industry should be run. 

I live in an area where home-operated Sex Services (HOss) is not permitted in this council zone. 

I have an appointment with the council next month to discuss this. Working in an industrial area is not safe for me, a single worker, and besides that, there are no buildings within the industrial zoning that would suit a single worker like me.

I think that allowing sex workers to work from home is the safest way for a sex worker to work. I think that all councils should allow single sex workers to work from their home without the need for a DA – the same as for other home occupations. 

When we walk into someone else’s home, we do not know what situation we are walking in to, whether there are weapons, drugs, multiple people, or cameras in the home. 

When we work from our own space, we have control and can prepare ourselves for any bad situations. I am on the border of NSW and Victoria. I work in NSW. 

One problem I faced when advertising with the local newspaper which is distributed to both NSW and Victoria, regardless of where I worked, I had to produce a SWA (Sex Work Act) number to place an ad. 

This was very annoying. I had no choice but to register (under the Victorian licensing laws which places me in great fear of being identified as a sex worker). I hold a current SWA number, but am fearful one day this licence will bite me on the butt. 

It may stop me from being allowed to travel to certain countries, it may prevent me from getting a job that needs background checks. My job is legal in this country, but being made to register like a dog or sex offender is wrong. 

Sure, they say the records are private, but what’s to say that won’t change in a few years. 

My family and friends know what I do, but not everyone is as lucky as me. Some in Victoria refuse to get a SWA number and work in fear every day.

Which fear is worse, being on public record for all to see that you are a sex worker or going under the radar and working illegally? 

When NSW sex workers are happy with the way we are treated, we will always be more open to discuss any issues we have within the industry. 

If things changed in NSW and we had to be registered then I think we will see a lot of sex workers go into hiding. 

That would have an impact on our current voluntary code of sexual health screening. 

Sex workers will be forced to work “illegally” from their homes if they choose not to work in a registered brothel situation. Not all of us can work in brothels. Not all of us like working for others. 

So, that means fewer sex workers will pay tax, fewer will get regular sexual health checks and testing and fewer will report any violence in fear of what could happen to them, which in turn makes a very unsafe work environment for sex workers. 

If I could make a perfect state for the sex industry and its workers, I would:

- Make it legal for sex workers to work from home, in any council area without the need for development consent – sex workers are very private and discreet and so too are their clients. Most reports I have read have concluded that most people never knew a sex worker lived on their street. I don’t feel there is any impact on the residential suggest amenity in lieu of community. 

- Keep the councils in charge. We are not criminals, therefore we do not need police overseeing our industry. With that, councils would need to lift all bans on HOss in residential zones. This keeps the sex workers safe, not leaving them with the only option of doing out calls or working in industrial zones, which can be dangerous. 

- Keep the industry decriminalised like it is now. We have a great industry here in NSW. Sure, some things can be tweaked, but that won’t happen until the government listens to sex worker issues from actual sex workers and ensures councils understand their obligations under the 1995 reforms to treat sex industry land use like any other. 

Please don’t make us go backwards. Please see that the sex industry of NSW is not rife with trafficking and bad things, but is filled with a lot of men and women who just want to peacefully do what they do best and earn a living like everyone else. 

We don’t want red flashing lights on our homes, we don’t want our clients treated like criminals, we just want to quietly and discreetly go about our business. 

Holly

Albury