Attorney-General Jim McGinty has announced that he will introduce legislation into State Parliament in August to legalise the operation of brothels in WA. If Mr McGinty has his way, the first legal brothels will be in operation in WA by the start of next year.

Under the proposed legislation, brothels will be certified through the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor. Local councils will be allowed to approve brothels under their planning laws. In fact, councils will effectively be compelled to grant brothel applications. The Government is doing for brothels what some years ago it did for “adult” shops. The only matters a local government will be allowed to consider when evaluating a brothel application will be planning laws. If an application meets planning law requirements, a council will be powerless to reject it.

Mr McGinty told the West Australian, presumably with a straight face, “At the moment local government is pretty powerless because brothels are illegal. This will enhance the power of local government to regulate aspects of brothels.”

Labor Party MPs will not be permitted a conscience vote on the legislation because it is longstanding ALP policy to legalise brothels. However, according to the West Australian, the Liberal party has not yet decided its position on Mr McGinty’s legislation (“New year start for legal brothels”, 18 June 2007).

Action

Life Ministries sent out a petition against prostitution with the last issue of Life News. If you have not already filled your copy with signatures and returned it to Life Ministries, now would be a good time to do so. If you need more copies of the petition, you can obtain them from Life Ministries’ by phoning (08) 9344 7396 or by sending an e-mail here…