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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 11 Hansard (5 November) . . Page.. 3592 ..

MR WOOD (10.32): Mr Speaker, I present the Prostitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1997.

Title read by Clerk.

MR WOOD: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

The Bill is short and simple, and readily understood. Its intention is to prevent the exploitation in Canberra of women who may be brought from Asia to Australia to work as prostitutes. Members may be aware of claims, and of the evidence in support of those claims, that young Asian women are brought to Australia for prostitution. Further, there are times when it appears that these women are sometimes held in what can only be described as "close confinement" with passports and income withheld. They seem to have very little freedom of movement and are much under the control of brothel owners.

There were a number of reasons for the Assembly's action some years ago to legalise brothels. Among these was that some protection should be afforded to sex workers; that this potentially hazardous working life should be as safe as possible. No doubt it is difficult enough for sex workers to stand up for their rights when they have been brought up in Australia. They speak the common language, they have a basic knowledge of their rights, and they have links to family and friends in the community. But a worker brought from overseas into a totally strange and perhaps threatening environment has very little chance of standing up for her rights. This trade must be stopped and we can do something about it in the ACT.

I cannot report to you that there are such workers here; but it is likely to happen as some of our brothels are owned by people who also own brothels in Sydney. We do read, every week, advertisements in the Canberra Times such as - and I quote from one of them - "New young Asian ladies - large selection". What grotesque wording, I might say. Of course, these Asian ladies may well be long-term residents or permanent citizens of Australia. I am not claiming that they are the sorts of sex workers this Bill seeks to protect. Among the amendments in this Bill is one to include in the objects of the Prostitution Act a new paragraph (e) which reads "to prevent people from overseas being brought into the Territory for the purpose of prostitution". While I have been talking about Asian women, the Bill, of course, relates to women from any overseas nation. This amending Bill adds a new key section to the Act, section 14A, which reads:

The operator of a brothel or escort agency shall not employ a person other than a permanent resident for the purpose of prostitution ...

That follows a recognised definition of a permanent resident as "a person ... whose continued presence in Australia is not subject to any limitation as to time imposed by law". The amendments I propose also include certain penalties and protections. I look forward to debate on and scrutiny of this legislation.

Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.

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