Prostitution has been around since way before Jesus’ time. It is unlikely to go away. Surely then it is necessary to “ensure there are occupational health and safety standards” and “ensure public health” in relation to it. It is long past time to revoke laws which make this exceedingly difficult.

Ari - I agree. Good Luck with the campaign and Happy Christmas!

The big reason prostitution is a crime is because the Government finds it hard to pin the prostitutes down so they can be taxed. If they do decriminalize sex work. The crime's move right in to a ligitimate Business. The pro's in legal brothels only make up about 20% of the sex workers. The rest are not paying any Tax & are run by the same crime's. There-in lies the problem for the Government.

Let's see. $250 a time, 5 times a night on average over the year. That's $456250 less deductions $50000. Less Tax on $406250 @ 45% is $223437.50 a year profit per Pro. 5 Pro's that's $1117200 a year. Not bad for driving around in a lambrogine.

Out of that the Pro will only get about $50 per trick. That's only a little over $50200 a year. Not really worth it for the Legit Pro is it.

What Ari is asking for is acceptance of a sordid lifestyle. Well prostitution might be an old profession (although thats an insult to professionals) but it is not a lifestyle any man or woman would want their daughters to make a living from.

One can understand woman prostituting themselves to feed their families however when they are prostituting themselves to live the high life or to support a drug habit it is a different matter.

Why do we want to legislate for something that no one wants their own kids to be involved in. Brothels spread to the suburbs in Victoria after being legalised. Their are far more illegal brothels now in Victoria since the 'profession ' was legalised. That means more trafficking and abuse of woman.

Here are 10 good reasons not to legalise this sordid industry
http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/laws/000022.html

Whilst I do think that criminal sanctions against actions between consenting adults are utterly wrong this article is not one I'd endorse. I'm assuming that the author and others in the sex trade in SA are not for the most part being forced into it but are there by choice (and if they are being forced that's a different issue).

The law may be an ass but arguing for changes because someone does not like the consequences of breaking the law does not sit well with me. Simply put if you don't like the law argue for it to be changed but don't disregard it in the mean time.

There are plenty of reasons to change law's, that those who knowingly choose to break existing laws don't like the predictable consequences is not amongst them.

R0bert

I may be missing something here, but has anyone made it compulsory that the author has to be a prostitute.

There are other careers, that many people (or indeed the vast majority of people) do follow.

http://mycareer.com.au/?S_cid=G:SEM:TOPKW::job%20search:8289730698&gclid=CKaBtpKila0CFQklpAodACcxmQ

Decriminalisation won't make prostition any less regulated. Before they know it, they will have mandatory qualifications, inductions, workplace health and safety policies and compulsory registration wiith an industry body. This industry body could produce an annual journal that no sane person ever reads. The government will then insist that every single sex worker has public liability insurance and above all, that they all complete their BAS.

This occupation is under-regulated by modern standards.

Of course prostitution should be decimalised. Sex between consenting Adults should always be legal. I don't want my daughter to work in a mine, I think it disgusting to rape the earth that way but if she wants to, it's her choice. If she chose to be a prostitute, I would have no problems with that at all. It's SEX, not murder !

It's unthinkable to me that sex between consenting adults is a criminal act ! If some guy and girl hook up after a night out and have sex and she accidentally left her wallet at home and he gives her $X for a taxi home, that's okay and he's a great guy for helping out ? If some guy rings a girl up (or vice versa) and has sex and gives the girl $X, that's a crime ?

As to the argument about the difficulty in taxing it, what the hell, same as any other cash business, that's the domain of the ATO, not the Police.

I will never understand this squeamishness with other people being mortified about people having sex. Spare me the hand wringing ! You don't have to like it, you don't have to engage in it, you don't have to have anything to do with it but to be against it enough to support criminalisation ? That's asinine.

Much like the Gay Marriage "debate", get over it people, it's consenting ADULTS !

I wonder if some will look back upon these times from the future with a queasy feeling about what a weird morality people had. I say this while reading the story of Alan Turing and him killing himself after being found gay when it was a criminal offence, what a brilliant man and an incredibly sad story.

I love this piece. Sex work should be decriminalised. All of the arguments don't stand up to the straightforward logical arguments offered by Ari!
I hope South Australia does catch up with the rest of the forward thinking world and show leadership.
Vanna you have missed the point. There are other jobs but clearly sex workers have chosen this one - give them rights, I say.
Runner 'sordid lifestyle'? you have been watching too much soap. Have you missed the number of accountants, lawyers and doctors who put themselves through uni doing sex work. What is sordid about sex?
Jayb your tax figures are all wrong but in the end it doesn't matter. Sex workers are paying tax whether they are criminalised or decriminalized - conveniently the tax office turns a blind eye when it comes to taking a cut.
As for the comment about 'forced' - surely decriminalisation provides benefits for all or do you think the imaginary forced victims you are referring to would be better off with a police record or two for Christmas!

Ari,so you want to screw without being screwed? Right?

socratease

It sounds like Valley guy would like to have prostitution promoted as a career choice in our schools alongside Mining Engineering. I am sure our 13 year old girls would be fascinated with that. Maybe the boys could also be offered courses in male prostitution. Baing legalised would cerrtainly mean you could not discriminate against this 'profesion'. What warped thinking. Well I suppose you throw away any moral basis for decency and you end up with secularism's perverted views.

Ah Runner, we know that you prefer the good old Christian way here.
Encourage your daughter to marry a really rich guy, that is far
more profitable for her.

Ari Reid,

Why do you want decriminalization? Wouldn’t liberalization be better?

Haven’t we already as many laws as to trip on one any time we move?

If tax is the motive of our holy minders, shouldn’t they tax masturbation as well?

Jelly: Jayb your tax figures are all wrong but in the end it doesn't matter. Sex workers are paying tax whether they are criminalised or decriminalized.

Admittedly, just a guestimate. But, tell me where am I wrong. The Madam gets most of the money. The Pro gets very little of her effort. Both are at least paying Taxes on their earnings.

Dunno, last time I went to a Pro I was 18 & with my Army mates on my first time in Sydney. After I thought that it was a complete waste of my money & never went back. I found more than enough free Sex around & a lot more satisfying. After all it was the 60's. ;-) No, I never caught a cold.

Skeptic: If tax is the motive of our holy minders, shouldn’t they tax masturbation as well?

No money changes hands in Masturbation. The same as for free Sex. It's only when money changes hands that Sex becomes Taxable & the ATO becomes interested. If the Pro isn't registered & recording their tricks, how is the ATO going to collect the Tax. The Pro isn't going to tell them, therefore it remains illegal.

A Merry Xmas & a Happy New Year to you all.

I'm off the the Gold Coast for the next 5 days. Yuck! but it's a family thing. I take a good book. I'll be looking forward to your Posts in the New Year.

The author makes a good case, but I also think there are additional benefits not mentioned - the potential to clamp down on organised crime, drug trafficking and the sex-slave trade.

There will probably always be criminal involvement in the sex industry, irrespective of its decriminalisation, but, licensing, registration and monitoring of approved establishments and workers could reduce the incentives and returns for the 'illegal' trade, and could enable police to focus on the illegal component - to attack criminal trafficking and the criminal coercion (and worse) of vulnerable young females (and males), as well as the potentially associated trafficking in drugs and child pornography.

To me, these, as well as the obvious the health and safety protections, give more than adequate justification for the decriminalisation and formalising of a best-practice sex industry, not only in SA, but in the whole of Aus, and probably the world.

It is also possible that a well organised legal sex industry may aid in reducing the incidence of sex crimes and abuse in our community, through providing an outlet for otherwise frustrated individuals, including for those constrained by cultural, ethnic or religious edicts.

The sex industry is here to stay. Maintaining an outdated punitory approach to it is both disingenuous and exceedingly counterproductive.

...SA remains a leader in social policy, and the evidence is SA sex workers relegated to the “dark” where they belong!

...Long live the rights of the child!

If the sex workers want the same rights as other workers and citizens then they should pay tax on their earnings just as other workers and citizens do.

eyeinthesky any reason to believe that those operating within the law won't?

Clearly there will always be some who will try and skip tax (cash jobs etc) but having workers operate outside the law is far more likely to lead to avoiding paying tax than operating within the law.

R0bert