Issue 32 – December 2008 Seasons greetings from the PLA
The PLA would like to extend its best wishes to all its stakeholders for a peaceful and happy festive season spent in the company of friends and family, and for a healthy and prosperous 2009.
any other service for that matter, is only in respect of advertising. Advertisements by their nature are unsolicited, whereas a response to a query about services is clearly solicited, and does not constitute advertising. To sum up, there is nothing to prevent a sex worker from saying that they provide massage, in response to an enquiry from a prospective client.
licence or certificate. Non-compliance may well have serious repercussions.
Sex trafficking
Following last month’s feature on the issue of people trafficking for the purposes of sexual servitude, readers might be interested to note that last month a Gold Coast hairdresser pleaded guilty to two charges of trafficking in persons. According to the prosecution, the defendant had borrowed money from ‘loan sharks’ and was experiencing difficulty in repaying the loan. He then lured two Thai prostitutes to Australia, with false promises that they would earn up to $600 a day, would live in luxury accommodation, and could please themselves when they worked. The defendant apparently arranged passports, visas and airfares for the two women. According to the prosecution, on the women’s arrival in Queensland the defendant forced them to provide prostitution against their will, and they were forced to see up to five clients a day. The defendant was allegedly verbally and physically abusive to the women, locking one in her room after she refused to see a client. The money earned by the women was confiscated by the defendant, and they were allegedly given just $20 a day for food and other necessities. One of the women estimated that she had sex with up to 75 men in a three-month period, with the defendant earning $11,500. This comes on top of the sentencing in August of a husband and wife in New South Wales for possessing and using slaves. The pair will spend 12 years and 11 years in gaol, respectively. Five Thai women were forced to see clients against their will at the couple’s
PLA office closure
The office of the PLA will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period. The office will close at 5.00pm on 23 December 2008 and will reopen at 9.00am on 2 January 2009.
PLA disciplinary actions
The PLA would like to thank all of those licensees and managers that have submitted their annual returns and fees on-time. The PLA has repeatedly warned licensees and managers that it is determined to ensure compliance with the licence and certificate conditions relating to annual returns and associated fees. It is concerning that some individuals have failed to heed these warnings.
The use of the word ‘massage’
Consistent with s. 95(1) of the Prostitution Act 1999, any prostitution advertisement that states directly or indirectly that the person’s business is connected with or provides massage services, is prohibited. “Business” of a person means the business of a licensed brothel or As of 19 November 2008, the PLA has commenced of an individual prostitute. disciplinary inquiries in respect of several approved managers as a result of their failure to submit an Recently, the PLA has received some inquiries which annual return and associated fees within three months would seem to indicate a degree of confusion amongst before the certificate anniversary day. Should the PLA sex workers in respect of this prohibition. It would determine that there are grounds for taking disciplinary appear that there is a misapprehension that in action, there are a range of penalties at its disposal, responding to an enquiry from a prospective client, a including a reprimand, a fine, and suspension or sex worker cannot refer to massage. That is not the cancellation of a certificate. case. In responding to a query from a prospective client about the range of services that they provide, or This should serve as a salutary warning to all licenses whether they provide a particular service, there is and managers of the importance of ensuring nothing to prevent a sex worker from referring to compliance with the conditions that attach to their massage. The prohibition on referring to massage, or
Level 3, 5 Gardner Cl, Milton ● GPO Box 3196, Brisbane, 4001 ● Ph: 07 3858 9500 ● Fax: 07 3876 3641 ● E: plaadmin@iprimus.com.au ● W: www.pla.qld.gov.au
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Fairfield brothel, had their passports and airline tickets confiscated, and were imprisoned either in the brothel or the pair’s home. The women were forced to work up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week. One victim saw more than 1,100 clients over a 10-month period, without being allowed a single day off, and was coerced into using drugs. One of the victims also described how she was forced to have sex with drug addicts, even when she was not well. The perpetrators of the crimes were described by the victims as “psycho” and “bad people without conscience”. One of the women referred to the dehumanising nature of the crimes in her victim impact statement when she said, “I don’t know why they treated me that way, as if I was not a human being”.
and involves the provision of one-on-one career counselling and assistance. The program consists of competency based modules covering basic computer skills, resume writing, job search training, interview techniques, job preparation and basic first aid. Support and referral to other agencies for specific problems unrelated to employment, such as drugs and alcohol, is also provided. Participants in the program have been employed in a range of sectors, including hospitality, education, retail, travel, and health. The program is completely free and confidential. BSIL Southern Edge can be contacted on 07 3343 6222.
2009 PLA meeting dates
The PLA Board generally meets on the first Monday of each month. Meeting dates for 2009 are: 2 February, 2 March, 6 April, 11 May, 22 June, 6 July, 3 August, 7 September, 5 October, 2 November, 7 December. Whilst current at the time of printing, these dates are tentative and subject to change without notice.
Vacancies for Approved Manager positions
Cleo’s on Nile: 12 Nile St, Woolloongabba. Seeking approved manager. The friendliest and most beautiful bordello in Brisbane. Flexible hours with great conditions. Contact Sharren or Lyn on 3393 1678 or admin@cleosonnile.com. Scarlet Harem: 14 Avian St, Kunda Park, Maroochydore. Sunshine Coast’s award winning and busiest brothel requires an approved manager. Immediate start. 24/7 rosters. Excellent conditions await you. Come join our team. Managers are not required to do sexual health checks. Phone 5476 5044 or email love@scarletharem.com. Purely Blue: Queensland’s first licensed brothel is looking for a part time shift manager to join our management team. We are a lively fun business with high standards and a friendly atmosphere. Our business systems are accredited to Australian Standards, a first in Australia. We provide training and you will be well remunerated and have good working conditions. Want to join our team? Then phone 07 3852 0366 or email julie@purelyblue.com.au Club 26: Position available for full-time or part-time approved manager. Many improvements have been made and there is a friendly team environment. Please submit résumé's to charmaine@resort-two-six.com or phone 3803 1000 for an interview. Please note that approved manager advertisements may be submitted at any time for inclusion in the next edition of the newsletter. They should be emailed to plaadmin@iprimus.com.au
Focus on licence conditions Action taken on illegal prostitution
In October, a defendant pleaded guilty to one count of having an interest in a premises used for prostitution, after allowing prostitutes to work out of his Kangaroo Point motel. He was fined $2,500 but no conviction was There are a number of conditions designed to facilitate the recorded. promotion of safe sex practices at brothels, including: Also in October, the Prostitution Enforcement Taskforce of the Queensland Police Service charged 11 people with knowingly participating in the provision of prostitution following an operation on the Gold Coast.
• Brothel owners and managers should have a good working knowledge of the conditions that attach to each brothel licence and should make every effort to familiarise themselves with those conditions.
Are you interested in leaving prostitution?
You might not be aware that Queensland Health funds BSIL Southern Edge to provide an exit and retraining program for sex workers. The service provided by Southern Edge targets sex workers and those who are likely to enter or re-enter the industry across the state. Individuals training needs are assessed, and services cover living skills training, literacy and numeracy skills development as well as accredited vocational training. Southern Edge provides career transition and employment training programs
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Condition 25: Provide direct and immediate access to a supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the sex worker in each room provided for prostitution. PPE includes condoms, dental dams, lubricants and disposable gloves. A licensee must not impede or otherwise discourage immediate access to PPE supplies, whether physical, verbal, written or otherwise. Condition 26: Have arrangements in place to ensure that prophylactics are used for all contact sexual services including masturbation e.g. ‘hand relief’. Sex workers and staff must be made aware of this condition through induction. Condition 27: Ensure all condoms, dental dams, lubricants and disposable gloves are stored in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications.
Approved managers should be aware that under condition 6 of their certificate, when they are personally supervising the brothel they assume the obligations and responsibilities held by the owner under their conditions of licence.
Level 3, 5 Gardner Cl, Milton ● GPO Box 3196, Brisbane, 4001 ● Ph: 07 3858 9500 ● Fax: 07 3876 3641 ● E: plaadmin@iprimus.com.au ● W: www.pla.qld.gov.au
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