Brian Burnell runs a Main Street sewing centre and has similar concerns about a massage business next door. Community News contacted the two businesses and three more nearby that featured photos of scantily clad women in their advertising. Four of the businesses denied offering sexual services and said they did not understand why other business owners believed they did.
Main Street Co-Op chairwoman Lisa Thornton believed the number of such businesses in the area was increasing and unacceptable. If I were a parent, I would not want my children being near these type of establishments. Perth-based Magenta offers support, health services, education and information to WA sex workers. Manager Lena Van Hale said accusations of sex were common against massage businesses, whether they were being provided or not. She described it as a complex situation and said migrant sex workers could not easily access protections usually available in workplaces.
Lawyer Genevieve Cleary said the Act mainly dealt with offences related to soliciting or offering prostitution services in public, advertising and involvement of children in prostitution. The barrister said it also gave police powers to enter and search places where prostitution services were offered or where they suspected people were being forced into prostitution.
It included hairdressing, beauty therapy and massage services but not consulting rooms, a medical centre or sex services involving prostitution. Mr Povey said premises for proposed massage businesses were not usually inspected unless the application was retrospective. It found there was an increase in private sex workers and decline in brothels and street-based sex work in the past 10 years.
