Legal private worker harassed by neighbours

The story below from a local Briz rag on 14th January has been picked up by wider Briz media, including the Courier Mail.

We got a call to make a comment on ABC 612 radio (20th January) where I said that:

* people in Queensland needed to realise that it has always been legal for a private person to do sex work from their own residence or from an apartment/hotel room that they rent for the purpose and that the current laws which protect private sex workers from discrimination have been in place for over 5 years now (Queensland Anti-discrimination Act 1991 - 2003 reprint)

* people, including landlords and neighbours, who try to deny accommodation to or harass private sex workers in any way might well find themselves facing the Anti-discrimination Tribunal.


The Brisbane City Council has urged people to contact them if they have concerns - Crimson Coalition urges sex workers who feel they are being discriminated against to contact us and we will tell you how you can make a complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.

Crimson Candi xx

http://quest-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/this-is-not-a-brothel1/

This is not a brothel!
Quest Newspapers
14 Jan 09 @ 06:36am by JOHN SIMPSON
Brothel fury ... Ron Viney

MEN looking for sex are making the lives of residents in a quiet Acacia Ridge street a misery. Homeowners in (STREET NAME REMOVED) are pestered around the clock by callers mistaking their houses for a sex worker’s address. And they appear powerless to stop the legal business conducted in their street. Individual sex workers are deemed sole operators and are permitted under Queensland law to conduct a business from a private premises. Resident Ron Viney said he feared for the safety of his wife and daughter. “On several occasions they’ve had people knocking on the door (asking about sex) (Like they wouldn't just ask for the name of the person that they are expecting to see, would the neighbours get upset if someone came to the wrong door if it was a hairdresser/lawyer/massage therapist next door? - Crimson Candi) A lot of these guys are on drugs. (What?!! the clients are on drugs?? where did that come from - Crimson Candi) That concerns me a lot.” Another resident said: “None of us really like it being here, but what can you do?” Another said: “We know guys come around all the time. We’ve complained about it. The police said it’s legal.” “We get sick of the traffic coming up here. We’ve got kids living in the street so it’s not really appropriate for them to see men coming out doing up their zips. (Excuse me?? They leave the premises doing up their zips? What a crock! Most clients would take a shower and get dressed and leave like a 'normal' person - Crimson Candi) It’s not very nice,” a resident said. The Southern Star asked Queensland Police for responses to several questions, including if it was aware of the business or the complaints made against it. Instead we received this statement: “Whilst any police officer can investigate a complaint from a member of the public relating to prostitution, the QPS Prostitution Enforcement Task Force conducts specialised investigations of this nature.” The Southern Star approached the female occupant of the house in question and she denied she was running a prostitution business. However, a call to a phone number in an “adult services” classified advertisement was answered by a sex worker who confirmed she was based at the address. A Brisbane City Council spokesman said the council had not received any complaints about the business, but said that any residents who had concerns could contact them on 3403 8888.