Ann Wason Moore: Gold Coast sex workers paying the price for illegal operators

Licensed brothels on the Gold Coast are paying the price for playing by the rules, and it’s putting sex workers citywide in danger - now Ann Wason Moore says it’s time to change the rulebook.

I fondly recall my first visit to a brothel.

Sure it was a little strange to see my car - complete with Christian school bumper sticker - in the parking lot, but hey … a job is a job.

Fortunately for me, and the clients, my job was to interview the working women at the Bundall brothel.

And what I saw and what I heard forever changed my perspective on the sex industry.

Most of these women were well-spoken, well dressed (if scantily so) mothers who were trying to find a new solution to ongoing problems in their lives - whether they be financial, emotional or physical.

While their work environment was mildly depressing, if clean, the most distressing detail was the fact that these women were not making much money.

Why? Because illegal operators stole their business.

That was back in 2018 and, according to a new submission from the Queensland Adult Business Association to sex industry watchdog the Prostitution Licensing Authority, nothing has changed.

The QABA, which represents the 21 licensed brothels in Queensland, wants to send escorts on house calls, have more sex workers on shift inside bordellos and greater punishment for illegal operators.

It’s the same wishlist I heard from the women in Bundall years ago - and it’s not just about competition but safety.

The Gold Coast’s sex workers are losing business to illegal operators.

The QABA says 80 per cent of the state’s sex industry “continues to operate illegally” due to failures in the current laws, and that’s creating not just a financial but a human cost.

It simply doesn’t make sense that women who work in licensed brothels - the safest workplace available in the sex industry - should lose money because they value their personal welfare.

The fact is that clients prefer illegal operators not because of the price but because of the anonymity.

Listen, I’ve driven up to a brothel and walked through those darkened doors … I know exactly how conspicuous those clients must feel. It’s like a spotlight of shame is shining upon you.

But I’ve also heard from those women inside how frightening it is to literally do it on your own, to have no madame or manager looking out for you or offering protection, not to mention guaranteeing the basic rights of any worker. And the crucial issue of ensuring that every client - and worker - has been health checked.

What they want is to be able to please the client’s desire for privacy and anonymity, while not forsaking their own need for safety. And, of course, to make some money.

Sending escorts on house calls from licensed brothels means someone always knows where these women are and the visit is on the record … if not the public record.

If we let licensed brothels play the same game as the illegal operators, and on a level playing field, it will soon drive those illicit outfits out of business. Meaning escort workers finally have an opportunity to safely make money.

Licensed operators need to be supported.

Then there is the issue of ‘massage parlours’. The fact that these shady operators have been allowed to flourish is an insult to our intelligence and a threat to the safety of women.

By flouting the law, these businesses undercut the licensed brothels by skimping on health and safety. Where is the enforcement of workplace standards? Where is the protection against aggressive clients?

They are a scourge on our suburbs, where they pop up in plain view rather than in industrial areas, and yet there they remain.

There’s one I drive past all the time in Mermaid Beach, cynically laughing at its incredibly obvious double entendre name - and I see on its website it specifically advertises ‘new lovely attractive masseuse girls from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, and Thailand!’

“Find your favourite! Available for the special you or a group … you will enjoy excellent massage by our lovely trained, skilled, new and very pretty Asian girls with experienced hands for a truly satisfying relaxing touch.”

Definitely sounds legit. I can really see how the police missed this one.

It’s little wonder the Bulletin previously revealed QABA was driven to hire a private investigator to identify almost 50 illegal massage parlours operating as brothels in the city. It’s a dirty job but literally nobody is doing it.

The truth is that the sex industry is something we still seem to struggle discussing with a straight face.

I get it, but we need to get over our wowser attitude if we are to protect these women who, for whatever reason, have made this choice. They haven’t done anything wrong and they should not be punished - either physically or financially.

Prostitution is the oldest industry in the world. So if we’re going to do it, why not do it right?