Sydney, June 28: Powers to ban brothels on moral grounds are being sought by a Christian-dominated council in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions, the BBC reported.
Although regulations vary, prostitution is generally legal across much of Australia and brothels are controlled by planning laws.
However, the mayor of the Hills Shire council in Sydney says there is no place for the sex industry in the ‘Bible belt’ district, home to one of the largest churches in the country. Peter Dimbrowsky said that the community should have the right to outlaw brothels.
He said, “You should be able to argue that in this part of Sydney or in any part of a city where it is family-orientated, it may be better for them not to be there at all.”
Hills Shire councillors recently rejected a bid to set up a brothel and are now pushing for changes to state law that compel local authorities to accommodate such businesses if various planning requirements are met, such as parking and proximity to homes.
There are fears within the sex industry that any move to alter the rules could drive sections of their legitimate trade back underground and fuel a rise in the number of illegal brothels.
Insiders say legislation that decriminalised prostitution in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, in the 1990s brought their chosen careers “out of the shadows”, making it more open and safe.
—AGENCIES