It's long been an open secret, tucked away in the alleyways of the tropical Northern Territory capital — red signs blazing day and night offering massages with a little something extra on the side. Key points: The new paper could lead to the eventual decriminalisation of brothels within the Northern Territory If it goes ahead, the shift would mean the region's illegal brothel industry would be stamped out, and legislated Advocates from the sex industry have long supported the move, which is outlined in the paper Now, the veil has been lifted on the illicit industry, with the NT Government releasing a new discussion paper which reveals the extent of the illegal sexual activities operating in plain sight within the Darwin CBD.
While police officers have largely turned a blind eye to the outlawed activities, a crackdown saw NT Police and Australian Border Protection Force officers raid 19 parlours across Darwin and Palmerston and "uncovered sufficient evidence to suggest some were being used as illegal brothels". No arrests were made during the raids, although three people were deported for breaching visa conditions. Discussion could lead to decriminalisation While prostitution itself is not against the law, the outlawed use of brothels means sex workers are forced to use hotel rooms or clients' homes to offer their services, putting them at potential safety risk, and rendering them largely unprotected by legal rights.
The last review of the Act was undertaken in , which ended with the recommendation that brothels be legalised — a recommendation which successive NT governments have failed to act upon. The discussion paper — titled Reforming Regulation of the Sex Industry in the Northern Territory — aims to "open meaningful dialogue on the future of the sex industry" and "consider options to improve the NT's legislation in respect of sexual services provided for fee or reward to and by consenting adults".
Photo: A Darwin massage parlour spray-painted with graffiti reading: 'Does your wife know?? Decriminalisation would stomp out the existence of illegal brothels operating in homes and shopfronts in Darwin and the Territory, by allowing for "the establishment of specific places where people could go to receive sexual services".
This would then launch a broader legislative discussion on the industry in the NT, including where the brothels would be located, what worker's rights would apply, and what licensing requirements would be needed.
