Blurred Lines

[MrGrumpy]

http://www.news.com.au/finance/small-business/why-did-this-happen-to-me-inside-new-yorks-billion-dollar-erotic-massage-industry/story-fn9evb64-1227294310116

[flamejob]

someone shared this story yesterday, but from a different site. Nonetheless it's interesting. I can't see why erotic massage isn't legalised.

[RottenLittlePunt]

someone shared this story yesterday, but from a different site. Nonetheless it's interesting. I can't see why erotic massage isn't legalised.

Links to bikies
links to drugs
links to people trafficing
immigration breaches
lobbying from the feminist movement
lobbying from the legitimate massage industry
lobbying from the legal prostitution industry


Aside from all the reasons it remains illegal, if it became legal most shops would disappear due to the costs and the owners would never meet the legal requirements.

[darthvader]

Links to bikies
links to drugs
links to people trafficing
immigration breaches
lobbying from the feminist movement
lobbying from the legitimate massage industry
lobbying from the legal prostitution industry


Aside from all the reasons it remains illegal, if it became legal most shops would disappear due to the costs and the owners would never meet the legal requirements.

What confuses me is it's legal in NSW and VIC.

[RottenLittlePunt]

What confuses me is it's legal in NSW and VIC.

The assumption is that it's legal but it isn't all legal down there.

"Although many massage parlours only offer therapeutic massage, the state government is seeking to lessen the number of massage parlours that are operating as unlicenced brothels, and conduct more stringent background checks on staff and proprietors.

In a bid to decrease the likelihood of council corruption, regulation of brothels is now undertaken by the state government, and there are a number of strict laws that both massage parlours and brothels have to abide by.

What is the difference between a massage business and a brothel?

Massage businesses provide massages and sometimes other beauty or health-related services to clients such as saunas, waxing and other treatments.

Massage businesses are not allowed by law to offer or advertise sexual services, and sex workers are prohibited from soliciting on the premises. "



It's similar to up here, they are classed as a brothel and have to abide by the rules of being a brothel. Perhaps the rules for brothels down south are less stringent, I have not seen them.

[darthvader]

I don't know the ins and outs of the rules, and TBH i can't be bothered looking into it.

All i know is there are legitimate establishments offering massage and happy endings in Sydney and Melbourne, many of which advertise here, and there are also illegal shops too. The difference is, we only have the illegal shops. I could only presume there is a benefit to opening a massage and happy ending style shop in syd and mel, otherwise they would all just be brothels..

[RottenLittlePunt]

I don't know the ins and outs of the rules, and TBH i can't be bothered looking into it.

All i know is there are legitimate establishments offering massage and happy endings in Sydney and Melbourne, many of which advertise here, and there are also illegal shops too. The difference is, we only have the illegal shops. I could only presume there is a benefit to opening a massage and happy ending style shop in syd and mel, otherwise they would all just be brothels..

It's a bit confusing as there seems to be conflicting answers on different websites. But it appears that in NSW

"Sex work, running a sex industry business and being a sex worker are all legal in NSW—but only if they are done according to NSW laws and regulations.

‘Brothels’ or sex services premises are regulated by local councils,"

So perhaps the local councils make it easier to become licensed in NSW.

In QLD the brothels are licensed by PLA which is expensive and probably too difficult to qualify for, for most massage shop owners here.

[popeye96]

I don't know the ins and outs of the rules, and TBH i can't be bothered looking into it.

All i know is there are legitimate establishments offering massage and happy endings in Sydney and Melbourne, many of which advertise here, and there are also illegal shops too. The difference is, we only have the illegal shops. I could only presume there is a benefit to opening a massage and happy ending style shop in syd and mel, otherwise they would all just be brothels..
It's a cost factor. Not sure what the licencing fee's are down there, but I know they are astronomical up here. Plus You can only have max 5 rooms and x amount of girls working at any one time, whereas I don't believe they have such strict regulations down south, thus can have a lot more rooms and girls working at the one time. It's just not cost effective to have an erotic type massage business up here, unless you charge exorbident prices. That's my take on the reason anyway.

[gpeck80]

I'm not old enough to remember, but I suspect this has something to do with the Fitzgerald Inquiry. I'm going on my high school education here, so feel free to correct me if you're old enough to remember what really went down, but anyway my teacher taught us that under QLD premier Jo Bejeckle Petersen (spelling probably wrong) gambling, drugs and prostitution were rife, so I suspect prozzie work got banned or highly regulated after that. This would account for the differences here vs NSW.

[RottenLittlePunt]

I'm not old enough to remember, but I suspect this has something to do with the Fitzgerald Inquiry. I'm going on my high school education here, so feel free to correct me if you're old enough to remember what really went down, but anyway my teacher taught us that under QLD premier Jo Bejeckle Petersen (spelling probably wrong) gambling, drugs and prostitution were rife, so I suspect prozzie work got banned or highly regulated after that. This would account for the differences here vs NSW.

I read something similar about NSW, that licencing was introduced to combat police corruption.

[gpeck80]

Actually yeah my teacher did mention there was similar stuff going on. I read an article on some guy called Hinze, he was the Qld racing minister or police minister, I think, but knee deep in corruption with dirty cops that ran drugs etc. There was a mini series made about too, because our teacher showed us some of it. I saw a picture of that Hinze guy, a fat ugly old bastard that somehow spawned a sexy supermodel grand daughter (or grand niece). Fucking hell, how that happens I dunno, but probably he had an ugly brother that married some hot shallow trophy bitch.

[gpeck80]

Here she is

http://media4.popsugar-assets.com/files/2013/01/04/4/498/4981322/4ad11194f70a40e1_2000-Kristy-Hinze/i/Kristy-Hinze-fronted-Seafolly-way-back-2000.jpg

[gpeck80]

............................................

[flamejob]

Links to bikies
links to drugs
links to people trafficing
immigration breaches
lobbying from the feminist movement
lobbying from the legitimate massage industry
lobbying from the legal prostitution industry


Aside from all the reasons it remains illegal, if it became legal most shops would disappear due to the costs and the owners would never meet the legal requirements.

One of the reasons crims thrive in the illegal massage industry is because it is illegal. Legalisation of brothels drove the crims out of the legal ones. They're regulatory costs may be higher, but this is off-set by greater safety and less likelihood of other costs going to crims, such as extortion, because of it being so heavily regulated. the lobbying you mention hasn't affected the legalisation of parlours in other states or countries.

[RottenLittlePunt]

One of the reasons crims thrive in the illegal massage industry is because it is illegal. Legalisation of brothels drove the crims out of the legal ones.

You seem to be overlooking the point that in Qld illegal massage industry CHOOSE to not be legal. The laws are already in place to be a legal brothel just as they are in the southern states. Legalisation did not make it better here, it just made it more unfair for those who want to abide by the laws.

At least 50% of the Vic market is illegal brothels.
In Qld the illegal market would be closer to 95%
I havent seen any estimates for NSW

Decriminalisation of the industry isn't having that great an impact on the industry.

[flamejob]

You seem to be overlooking the point that in Qld illegal massage industry CHOOSE to not be legal. The laws are already in place to be a legal brothel just as they are in the southern states. Legalisation did not make it better here, it just made it more unfair for those who want to abide by the laws.

At least 50% of the Vic market is illegal brothels.
In Qld the illegal market would be closer to 95%
I havent seen any estimates for NSW

Decriminalisation of the industry isn't having that great an impact on the industry.

You make an interesting point ...