Stormy Summers fought to reform SA’s sex worker laws, parliament is still debating

As South Australia mourns the death of its infamous madam Stormy Summers, there remains moves to have parliament modernise its sex worker laws.

Stormy Summers witnessed the last time South Australia seriously debated reforming its archaic sex worker laws.

But she never lived to see change, and South Australia still outlaws prostitution and brothel ownership in all forms.

More than 13 attempts have been made to update laws initially written in 1935 that prohibit prostitution, solicitation or owning or operating a “bawdy house” – also known as a brothel, the very establishment Ms Summers operated for years before a scandalous eviction.

But a large part of her life’s work, and inspiration to run for Adelaide Lord Mayor in 2000, was legislative reform to legally protect the women who worked for her on Waymouth St.

Stormy Summers ran for Adelaide Lord Mayor in 2000 in an effort to reform sex worker laws in South Australia. Picture: Brenton Edwards

She witnessed the 2019 debate and ultimately unsuccessful vote from the parliament gallery in what Greens MLC and sex worker reform advocate Tammy Franks said was the “last time it came up for serious debate”.

“We have the most archaic (sex worker) laws in the country,” Ms Franks said.

The 2019 bill lost by five votes, and a subsequent review at select committee also failed to reach a consensus on the issue, with 47 opposing submissions to 41 in support.

The proposed reform sought to remove the phrase “common prostitute” and strike out the bawdy house term.

It would, in part, legalise a brothel.

In a request to the select committee in 2021, Commissioner Grant Stevens revealed the Licensing Enforcement Branch investigators detected 222 prostitution offences between 2018 and 2021.

There were 83 charges laid for the same period.

South Australian Greens member Tammy Franks. Picture: Supplied

The 2018-19 period was the highest for charges, with 31 relating to keeping a brothel, 26 for receiving money paid in a brothel, seven for being on premises “frequented by prostitutes” and one for soliciting.

Numbers dropped dramatically in 2019-20, with six charges of keeping a brothel and just one for being on a premises frequented by prostitutes.

It ticked up slightly in 2020-21, with seven charges relating to keeping a brothel and four for receiving money paid in a brothel.

The response noted the 11 offences detected in 2020-21 related to eight people.

Ms Franks said there remained a conservative bill in the upper house that “seeks to criminalise clients of sex workers”, known as the “Nordic Model”.

Brothel madam and Lord Mayoral aspirant Stormy Summers pictured in 2000 with her sports car in Adelaide. Picture: Tony Lewis

It is set to be debated in parliament this year, and is a system of partial decriminalisation in which clients or brothel operators are penalised, but not sex workers themselves.

“Which is what I call a re-criminalisation of sex work,” she said.

“In effect, it means sex workers can’t take money for their work which to me is slavery or servitude.

“It doesn’t have the numbers in the upper house.

“We need to have a thoughtful, considered debate about adult consensual sex workers and the right to work lawfully and safely.”

Attorney-General Kyam Maher – who lost a bid for Adelaide councillor in 2000 when Ms Summers ran for lord mayor – previously indicated he did not support the Nordic Model.

A spokeswoman for his office said there was no government bill relating to decriminalising sex work.

“Bills relating to this matter have generally been the subject of conscience votes for Labor members of parliament,” she said.

“The Attorney-General has voted in support of reforms to sex work laws in the past and remains committed to reform in this area.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas and Opposition Leader David Speirs both voted against the 2019 reform bid.

Originally published as Stormy Summers fought to reform SA’s sex worker laws, parliament is still debating