- Media Releases

“Magistrate’s decision to deny bail places trans sex worker at risk.” WA 22 April 2016

NAPWHA, SWOP NSW, Scarlet Alliance, WA AIDS Council, Magenta "HIV transmission should be about public health, not criminal law" 18 Feb 2016

Allegations of HIV transmission have been made against a transgender person living with HIV, who was also a sex worker in Western Australia.

"Government’s Brothel Licensing Agenda Not Supported By IPART Final Report Released Today" 11 Aug 2015

Today the Government released IPART’s Final Report on Reforming Licensing in NSW, which recommends reforms for licensing across many industries in NSW. The report does not recommend the introduction of a licensing scheme for the sex industry, noting that “any proposed licensing scheme for the sex services industry should be assessed using the Licensing Framework to determine whether it is an appropriate government response to address the policy objectives."

"Sex Workers Demand Decriminalisation Now!" South Australia 2 June 2015

Sex workers and supporters are rallying again today calling on the state government to finally address their health and safety concerns by decriminalising sex work in South Australia.

"Sex Worker Eviction in Tangail, Bangladesh, disrupts Asia Pacific AIDS Conference Negotiation" 25 July 2014

The 12th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) is to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2015. A boycott of this event is imminent due to eviction of 1000 sex workers and their families, totalling 2000 people, from a 200 year old brothel district in Bangladesh. Ironically the theme of the conference is women, and Key Affected Populations, which includes sex workers. The area has been raised by bulldozers and is described by local sex workers as now looking more like a desert than their fomer homes and workplaces.

"Sex workers international meeting at the AIDS 2014 conference" July 2014

Sex workers from over thirty countries have gathered in Melbourne at the AIDS 2014 Conference to address some of the big issues that all sex workers face.

"Sex Work Policy At Crucial Juncture" Scarlet Alliance Speaks at Human Rights Networking Zone, followed by Media Conference

Melbourne, July 24, 2014 — Members of the media are invited to a timely and interactive discussion on sex work, human rights, and law and policy – and how the latter can both positively and negatively affect the lives and health of sex workers around the world. Sex workers will share evidence onapproaches and real-world examples that demonstrate the true impacts of how we choose to legislate the world’s oldest profession.

Scarlet Alliance "SEX WORKER LEGAL EMPOWERMENT - 7TH NATIONAL HIV STRATEGY" 7 July 2014

Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association welcomed the launch of the 7th National HIV Strategy by Health Minister the Hon. Peter Dutton.

"Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers, Denounce European Union Vote" 27 Feb 2014

On the 26th February 2014, European Parliament voted 343 in favour, 139 against and 105 abstentions on a report which urges criminalising clients of sex workers in Europe. The report claims that such laws are beneficial to sex workers.

Scarlet Alliance "When You Criminalise Our Clients, You Criminalise Us" 4 Dec 2013

‘The Bill to criminalise clients of sex workers being debated in French Parliament on December 4 will severely endanger the lives and working conditions of sex workers if passed’, says Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association.

Scarlet Alliance "Anti-sex work laws deemed unconstitutional" 21 June 2013

Australian sex workers welcome US Supreme Court decision. Sex workers in Australia are celebrating last night’s decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court, which struck down the notorious anti-sex work pledge for HIV/AIDS prevention organisations.

Media Release "Sex Workers call on South Australian Government to Decriminalise Sex Work" 5th June 2013, Adelaide

Sex workers and supporters are rallying on Wednesday 5 June in the week of International Whores Day to call upon the South Australian Government to decriminalise sex work.

"Western Australian Sex Workers and supporters demand Decriminalisation" Event 1pm 18 May 2013

In a protest to be held outside Parliament House, Saturday May 18th at 1pm, Western Australian sex workers and their supporters are coming together to demand full decriminalisation of their work. "We want the same work rights and protections as everybody else" states local sex worker advocate Rebecca Davies.

"Sydney: International Conference Delegates Urge NSW to Maintain Decriminalisation of Sex Work" 1 Nov 2012

Experts from a dozen countries, are meeting in Sydney to learn of the gains since decriminalisation of sex work in NSW in 1995, are dismayed at the massive threat to the world-leading law. Open Society Foundations, Scarlet Alliance and Sex Worker Outreach Project have attracted nearly 50 sex workers, community leaders, human rights activists, advocates and politicians from Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and Europe in a four day event planned to take the best of NSWs model to the world. The meeting has collectively expressed its shock that the NSW government would think of removing decriminalisation of sex work through a sex industry law review process. The delegates were unanimous in their call to NSW Government to maintain its world leading and highly successful decriminalisation of sex work.

Scarlet Alliance Media Release "Brothel Regulation Inquiry: Hartcher covers up Council ineptitude" 21 Sept 2012

Scarlet Alliance opposes the introduction of licensing and registration as proposed by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, assisted by an inter-agency Working Party for brothel regulation. Special Minister of State Chris Hartcher yesterday announced an inquiry to curb the alleged proliferation of illegal brothels. But sex workers disagree, saying the only proliferation is of Local Council mismanagement of the issue.