‘No doubt’ decriminalising sex work will return to new parliament
The Deputy Premier has “no doubt” bills over sex work decriminalisation will return in a new parliament, while SA Best says anti-immigration lines are “the worst lie” voters are being told, at a panel today.
Deputy Premier Kyam Maher said there was “no doubt” decriminalising sex work will be revisited by the next parliament, but a Greens candidate said for it to happen, the major parties must take a stand.
“When this has come up, I’ve voted in favour of calling what is work, ‘work’, and ensuring that at that very fundamental level, there is those workplace protections every other worker enjoys in South Australia,” Maher said, addressing the social services sector at a forum held today.
The forum – held by South Australian Council of Social Service, Uniting Communities and InDaily – featured Labour Deputy Premier Kyam Maher, SA Best’s Connie Bonaros, independent candidate Tammy Franks, Liberal Michelle Lensink, Greens candidate Melanie Selwood and Fair Go for Australians’ candidate Chris McDermott.
Candidates unanimously agreed that racist, anti-immigration sentiments had no place in politics.
“When a voter says to me, someone who has supported you for 20 years in politics, that ‘I’m not going out on election day because I’m too scared’, you know there is a problem,” SA Best candidate Connie Bonaros said.
“We are sowing division and fear in our communities.
“The worst lie that we are telling voters today is that we will cut migration in South Australia at this election. You cannot.
“We will not, and we do not have the power to touch migration laws at this state election. So stop lying to voters about what you will do and tell them what you actually can do.”
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The immigration debate seeped into state politics off the back of comments from One Nation national leader Pauline Hanson, and was followed by the Premier’s message for One Nation voters asking: ‘Who’s going to wipe your bum when you’re 90?’
There was no One Nation candidate on the panel, despite the party being poised to pick up two to three seats according to recent polling.
SACOSS CEO Catherine Earl said the organisers did not have a One Nation representative because the party does not currently have a member in parliament.
Liberal Michelle Lensink said she would not “have a crack at new migrants” and had attended many events and rallies with people of different backgrounds who have come to Australia.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate rebuttal to what’s happening at the moment to say that new Australians are the ones who should be relegated to jobs in aged care, wiping people’s bums, while those of us whose kids were born in Australia get the nice university-qualified jobs on submarines,” Lensink said.
Fair Go for Australia candidate Chris McDermott said he agreed with everyone else, and “whether we live here or we’ve come here,” Australians should be respectful.
“We’re all in the same boat, let’s row it together,” he said.
The six legislative council candidates are vying for 11 spots in the Upper House in the state election, where members serve eight-year terms. There are 22 total seats in the upper house.
According to recent DemosAU polling, the Legislative Council Chamber would end up with a total of nine to 10 Labor members, six Liberals, two to three One Nation, one to two Greens, Sarah Game’s Fair Go Party and up to three seats in doubt.
In relation to the sex work topic, Greens candidate Melanie Selwood – who is hoping to join continuing MLC Robert Simms in the parliament’s Upper House – said major parties needed to stop considering issues like sex work as conscience votes.
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“The Greens remain committed to decriminalisation of the sex industry,” Selwood said.
“When it comes to LGBTQIA+ reforms or issues that predominantly affect women, it often comes down to a conscience vote for the major parties.
“We would actually like to see them start to take a position and take a stand on some of these issues, rather than leaving it up to the numbers in parliament every time.”
Selwood’s comments came in response to a question from Sex Industry Network (SIN) CEO Kat Morrison, who asked if decriminalisation was on the agenda, and what strategies the candidates would have to promote the rights of sex workers in SA.
Currently, it is illegal to operate a brothel in South Australia and sex work itself is criminalised under state legislation.
Tammy Franks, formerly a Greens member, has sought to pass amendments to the state’s sex work laws in the past, most recently in 2019 when she supported a decriminalisation model.
There have been more than 13 attempts in the past seven years to change state sex work laws.
Both the Labor and Liberal parties consider topics like sex work decriminalisation and abortion legislation as issues of “conscience” meaning each member votes individually and doesn’t have to toe the party line.
Liberal shadow minister for women Michelle Lensink told the forum she had met with SIN and “I have been in your corner for a long time and continue to be”.
Morrison said in this election campaign, SIN is calling for “the government to invest in a future for sex workers”.
“That includes anti-discrimination legislation, the removal of barriers to health, social, and judicial supports for sex workers and, more broadly, the full decriminalisation of the sex industry,” she said.
Note: InDaily is the media partner for the South Australian Council of Social Service Balancing Power panel.
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