Page 5249 - Week 12 - Thursday, 28 October 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
That this Assembly refer to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety the operation of the Prostitution Act 1992 for inquiry and report to the Assembly by 1 July 2011:
In undertaking its inquiry, the Committee will have regard to:
(1) possible regulation of commercially operated brothels to ensure that all sex workers are over the age of 18 years;
(2) options for ensuring that appropriate proof of identity and age is produced before a person is permitted to work in a commercially operated brothel;
(3) the desirability of commercially operated brothels being required to maintain records of workers and of relevant proof of age documents; and
(4) any other relevant matters.
Mr Speaker, today I am moving that the Assembly refer to the Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety a request to review the operation of the Prostitution Act 1992. The terms of reference I propose for the review are as follows: that the committee will inquire into, and report on, the operation of the Prostitution Act 1992. In undertaking its inquiry, the committee will have regard to:
(1) possible regulation of commercially operated brothels to ensure that all sex workers are over the age of 18 years;
(2) options for ensuring that appropriate proof of identity and age is produced before a person is permitted to work in a commercially operated brothel;
(3) the desirability of commercially operated brothels being required to maintain records of workers and of relevant proof of age documents; and
(4) any other relevant matters.
I would like to start this debate by looking at some of the background to the regulation of the sex industry here in the ACT. In April 1992, a former member of this place, Mr Michael Moore, presented a bill to regulate prostitution in the ACT in a substantially different form from that which is now reflected in our act. For the benefit of members, I make a number of observations about Mr Moore’s original proposal.
In presenting his Prostitution Bill 1992, Mr Moore said:
… the Prostitution Bill, “A Bill for an Act to regulate certain aspects of prostitution”, looks particularly at limiting the brothels in the ACT to Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume. It looks at the participation of minors and ensures that there is no participation of minors, and prevents soliciting in public places.
Consequential amendments repealed or amended a number of provisions in acts to remove some old offences, such as one relating to a person working in a bar or coffee shop serving a person who is known to be a prostitute. Mr Moore had presented an
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video