Two recent editions of Life News have urged readers to voice their concerns about Western Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter’s plan to licence brothels and prostitutes. The date for responding to the draft Prostitution Bill 2011 has now officially ended (Friday 29 July 2011), however it is still not too late to contact your local member (regardless of party) in the Legislative Assembly, and your six members (regardless of party) in the Legislative Council.

This is extremely important as Liberal Party MPs have been given a free vote on the Bill. Some Liberal MPs have already indicated that they will vote against it.Some have indicted that they will vote for it.But some—perhaps enough to derail the bill—remain undecided and therefore with your encouragement, may be convinced to oppose it.

In addition, the Labor Party has not yet declared its position on the Bill. Labor almost always votes as a block (with the exception of matters relating to life issues such as abortion, infanticide and euthanasia). It is highly likely that they will vote as a block on this Bill, but perhaps, with your encouragement, Labor could be convinced to oppose the Bill.

The Greens strongly support legalised prostitution, but may not support this Bill. Perhaps the Greens will conclude that the Bill is too restrictive in that it will seek to shut down mini-brothels in residential areas and it will force prostitutes to obtain licences, and therefore they may determine or could be convinced to oppose it.

The point is that the outcome is yet to be determined. Now is not the time to concede defeat. Several successive plans to legalise prostitution in Western Australia introduced by both major parties have been defeated, in part because of Christian opposition.God willing, with your help, this latest attempt can be defeated also.

PLEASE take the time to send a clear message of opposition to the legalisation of prostitution to your local member in the Legislative Assembly, and your six members in the Legislative Council.

If you are unsure of your electorate, check at: https://www.waec.wa.gov.au/check_enrolment/index.phpor call the WA Electoral Commission on 9214 0400.

A complete list of email addresses for all WA MPs can be found at http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/web/newwebparl.nsf/iframewebpages/Members+-+Email

And MPs phone numbers can be easily located in the White Pages under Members of State Parliament, Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Make sure to include your name and home address in all correspondence.

Your letter could make one or more of the following points, in your own words:

• The Bill, produced by a supposedly conservative Liberal government, would legalise a damaging and immoral activity that has rightly been proscribed since the founding of the state.
• Prostitution harms prostitutes physically and emotionally, and therefore should never be legalised.
• Single men who use prostitutes damage their potential for successful marriage.
• Married men who use prostitutes damage their marriages and families.
• The government should not give approval to the exploitation of women by treating brothels as normal businesses.
• The Attorney-General claims that the State Government does not “condone, or in any way promote, prostitution as an ordinary, socially acceptable activity”. However, legislation will clearly condone prostitution as a legitimate business that can promote itself, in order to recruit new clients, as an ordinary, socially acceptable activity.
• The “sex trade”, i.e., street prostitution, sex trafficking and prostitution generally, have greatly increased in the eastern states since brothels were treated as normal businesses.Legalising brothels has never controlled them.