What it’s like ... living next door to a brothel in SA
Some South Aussies are oblivious they live next to a brothel. Others know, and report finding used condoms in their front lawns. And others still say their nocturnal neighbours are downright delightful. The Sunday Mail surveyed the community and asked: What it’s like ... living next door to a brothel?
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Some residents are completely oblivious, while others know what goes on behind the heavy front door and blacked-out windows.
For those living next door to a suburban brothel, it can be an enlightening experience, completely mundane or somewhat horrifying.
While some report finding used condoms on their front lawn, others say their nocturnal neighbours are among the nicest people they’ve met.
Brothels, which are operating illegally under South Australian law but are currently being contested in parliament, are embedded among Adelaide’s suburban streets.
They try operate discreetly – some under the guise of massage parlours – but two mothers living less than 100m from one in Adelaide’s inner-northeast say they are sick of finding “evidence”.
“Sometimes they dispose of the (condoms), it’s landed in my front yard,” one woman said.
“(The brothel owners are) very apologetic but it doesn’t stop it from happening and you have a lot of male foot traffic, particularly Sunday afternoon.”
The mother-of-four said she wanted sex workers to be safe, but didn’t want a brothel operating in a residential area.
“It’s not a place for it here. I understand there’s a market for it but not in my backyard,” she said.
Another woman, who has two children, called the nearby establishment “disgusting” and said she couldn’t “support what the girls do”.
“I see people coming all the time. It’s always dodgy,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to be legalised and I don’t agree with it.”
However, an elderly man living on the eastern outskirts of the CBD – a neighbour to a now-closed brothel – said he supported the decriminalisation of prostitution.
He said he has no issue with brothels, including one that was operating nearby, about 50m from a busy childcare centre.
“I don’t have a problem with what they’re doing and I don’t have a problem with the people that go there at all,” he said. “I’m on board with it being decriminalised because it protects the sex workers. That’s important I think.” When asked if the brothel should give way to the childcare centre, the man said “who was there first can stay”.
A Norwood, Payneham and St Peters Council spokesman said there had been no complaints about businesses operating in the area.
In the CBD, neighbours of a popular brothel said they had “never had any problems” with its workers or customers.
“Everyone is OK about it around here,” they said.
An Adelaide City Council spokeswoman said there had been no complaints about the property.
In the western suburbs, an elderly neighbour said she “couldn’t care less” and people interested in brothels could “go for the lick of their lives”.
A woman in her 20s said she was “completely unaware” and hadn’t seen “anything untoward” in the three years she’d lived near the brothel.
“I definitely think (prostitution) should be (decriminalised),” she said. “I think it’s been around for thousands of years, there’s always going to be a demand for it, it’s an industry and it’s necessary in a way for a lot of people.”
Another woman, who works near a western suburbs brothel, said sex workers should be able to operate freely because “it’s their body, their choice”.
“If someone wants to pay for adult activities, some people don’t have access or they may have barriers or disabilities and reasons why they can’t perform adult activities (via other means) so for some of those people it’s almost like a … public service,” she said.
“It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t affect my life. So each to their own choices I say.”
Another neighbour polled said decriminalisation would help make the sex work industry safer.
“Protecting the workers is actually the most important part … (because) there’s not the regulation and support,” they said. “Sex work is real work.”
West Torrens Council confirmed there had been eight complaints about brothels in three years.
A draft Bill to decriminalise sex work in SA is currently before parliament, with debate set to resume next month.
The Bill, introduced by Greens MLC Tammy Franks in May last year, has divided politicians, police, councils and the community.
Most are concerned about the location of sex workers and brothels and, if decriminalised, who will run them.
Amendments limiting street soliciting and brothel ownership were introduced by Attorney-General Vickie Chapman on Wednesday. Under the proposed changes, street sex workers and brothels with five or more sex workers cannot operate within 200m of a child care centre, kindergarten, preschool, primary and secondary schools, and place of worship. A 50m exclusion zone would apply in the CBD.
Sex Industry Network general manager Kat Morrison described the current amendment as “unworkable”.
“The unintended consequences of exclusions zones are that police resources are wasted enforcing laws that discriminate and harm sex workers, while creating barriers to accessing support,” she said. “Brothels and other sex work establishments should be able to operate in residential areas – and currently do.
“Sex workers operating from home should be treated the same as any other home based businesses – which decriminalisation will provide.”
Ms Morrison said she was not aware of any incidents were condoms had been inappropriately disposed of. She said residents would be able to raise “amenity issues” with their local council if decriminalisation was passed.
Under the changes, smaller brothels – those with less than five sex workers – would not be subject to the same zone and ownership restrictions.
Under the proposed brothel certification process, bigger brothels would be refused an operation certificate if a police check shows any links to criminal organisations.
SA Police would not comment on the issue.
This is SA’s 13th attempt at prostitution law reform.