Bill to decriminalise sex work passes South Australia’s upper house
Image: Photo: David Alexander.
A BILL聽to decriminalise sex work in South Australia has passed the Upper House in a late-night session.
The Private Member鈥檚 Bill, put forward by Liberal MLC Michelle Lensink in 2015, passed the Legislative Council last night 13-8 in a debate that ran past midnight, according to .
The bill will now be debated in the Lower House before a conscience vote by MPs.
Sex work, an industry queer men have worked in, is currently completely illegal in South Australia.
Lensink said the reform was 鈥渓ong overdue鈥�.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very important to the 2,000 people who work in the sex industry in SA,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e told me鈥� for decades that they don鈥檛 feel safe and police have a conflict of interest if they report incidents of rape or assault.
鈥淧olice have a conflict in protecting them but using it in evidence against them.鈥�
The development follows years of campaigning by sex worker activists in South Australia.
Sharon Jennings from the South Australian Sex Industry Network said the proposed change is an exciting and welcome one for workers in the state.
鈥淚t will mean better safety for sex workers, better access to police if we鈥檙e victims of crime, and better access to health services,鈥� said Jennings.
鈥淚t will mean the start of breaking down the stigma that surrounds commercial sexual services.
鈥淭hat freedom of choice, to be able to do what you want to do for a living鈥攊t鈥檚 not everybody鈥檚 ideal job but it鈥檚 some people鈥檚 choice, it鈥檚 my choice and my community鈥檚 choice, and the law shouldn鈥檛 stipulate that we鈥檙e not allowed to make those choices.鈥�
The proposed reform would see sex work treated like any other industry, similar to decriminalisation of the industry in New South Wales.
鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly not a perfect model, but it鈥檚 the best model available to us at this time,鈥� said Jennings.
