Page 5329 - Week 16 - Thursday, 28 November 1991
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Melbourne. It is surely in the interests of the people of Canberra at least to restrict the practice of prostitution to its present confines and -to deny it any respectability which would lead to its spread. To suggest that. prostitution should be an extension of the hospitality industry is to invite the kind of visitors that Canberra can do without.
In September 1984 the New South Wales Catholic
Social Welfare Committee raised the following points in a
submission to the Select Committee of the NSW Legislative
Assembly on Prostitution. they are relevant to the ACT in
1992. The submission warned against "legalization" of
prostitution on three grounds:
"Such legislation will institutionalise ash area of social conduct that will bring with it increasing,bureaucratic involvement and interference. The , registration of prostitutes, restricted licensed premises and other controls will infringe on privacy and increase corruption.
"Such legislation would be bad, law.., Authorities will be unable adequately to regulate zoning, licensing of premises and health regulations. Evidence suggests that legislation would apply effectively only to ,a particular group of prostitutes. .
"Legislating for.prostitution will appear to many in the community that because it is legal it is right. We find this unacceptable."
SPECIFIC COMMENTS
1. "The issue of the rights of all workers ,4n the sex industry is the single most important concern in any, examination of the question of the reform of the
prostitution laws in reaffirm." (pace 1)
The rest, of tie .people. in. the community live rights as we lurid the common good of the ,community needs to be considered as of paramount;isaportafice.
2 The second sentence. pf the second paragraph on page 1 suggests th at positive changes in .the law will mean regarding prostitution in a more tolerant light. This is not necessarily s o. It could be metre positive and enlightened to try to bring.. about: aonditiors whereby, women
(and men) find it necessary to degrade themselves as prostitutes.
3. The distinction towards the end. of per, one, between.
decriminalization and legalisation is a good one. For
reasons as noted earlier,. the path of .decriminalisation
appears. to be the better course to follow. : ,Otherwise the
way is open to pro automation becoming, legal;. respectable
and more widespread.
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