By James Emery
•
November 23, 2022
Media Release ๐๐ป ๐ก๐ง, ๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐, ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐. ๐ง๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ, ๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ-๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ง ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ง ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ-๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ‘๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ’ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ‘๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ’, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ. ๐๐
๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐น๐ ๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐ด๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ, ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐. Sex workers wish to thank the Northern Territory Labor Government for their continual work in ensuring that comprehensive consultation has been conducted throughout a very long and careful process to achieve the best possible amendments to protect Territorians, and ultimately fully modernise The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act 1992. “Importantly, the NT Government has consulted with the most marginalised groups to ensure coverage was provided through inclusive and appropriate attributes. Like other marginalised communities, sex workers require equitable law reform which recognises the pervasive and unique effect that sex work stigma has on our lives, health, safety, and standing in the community,” says Sex Worker Reference Group member and Scarlet Alliance - Australian Sex Workers Association Vice President, Sienna Charles. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ Member Willow Beth states, “Sex workers experience widespread and pervasive stigma and discrimination in every facet of our lives, with devastating impacts on our safety, housing and accommodation, financial stability, mental health and wellbeing and with limited avenues for redress. Crucially, today's reforms provide an opportunity for sex workers to seek redress when experiencing discrimination and sends a message to the community that discrimination against sex workers and our work is unacceptable.” By protecting sex workers and our work within the NT Anti-Discrimination Act 2022, the Labor government has ensured the realisation of the Objects of the Sex Industry Act 2019 in recognising sex work as a legitimate form of work that needs to be regulated through standard business, Work Health & Safety, and other industrial protections to safeguard sex worker’s safety and rights. Scarlet Alliance Australian Sex Workers Association, the Sex Worker Outreach Program (SWOP NT) and the Sex Worker Reference Group (SWRG) provided comprehensive evidence and case studies that demonstrated systemic discrimination against sex workers and our work, throughout the Northern Territory Government’s extensive consultation processes. “We would like to thank the NT Labor Government, and in particular, through the duration of our advocacy to the Ministers who have held the position of the Attorney General; Chief Minister, Honourable Natasha Fyles , Honourable Selena Uibo: , and to the current Attorney General Honourable Chansey Paech: for listening to us and hearing our issues and concerns throughout the process of achieving protections for sex workers who work in the NT,” says SWOP NT Coordinator, Leanne Melling. CEO of Scarlet Alliance, Jules Kim says, “This is a momentous day for all sex workers and sets a positive example that sex workers are valued members of the community, deserving of rights and protections against vilification and discrimination with recourse to access justice through the passing of this Bill. These critical reforms will continue to demonstrate the importance of best practice partnerships between sex workers and the government and will hopefully inspire similar campaigns for robust anti-discrimination protections for sex work and sex workers and decriminalisation of sex work reforms in other states and territories throughout Australia.” Rainbow Territory Unions NT Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) NAPWHA Hepatitis Australia Northern Territory Council of Social Service #NTAHC #SWOPNT #SWRG #ScarletAlliance #AntiDiscriminationCommission