MEDIA RELEASE  Media embargo – 6 October 2010
HEAD: Licensed brothels ‘win’ on safe sex (240 words)
If prostitution is decriminalised, sex is more likely to be safe.
This is the finding of a study published in the October issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
Led by Dr Christine Harcourt from the University of New South Wales, researchers compared health promotion programs in three Australian cities with different prostitution laws.
“The decriminalised industry in Sydney was associated with the greatest financial support for its health promotion program and the best access to brothels for its outreach workers,” said co-author Professor Basil Donovan.
“Melbourne’s licensed brothels were rated most highly for occupational health and safety, perhaps because it is a condition of brothel licences, but Melbourne’s many unlicensed brothels were likely to have poor safety levels.”
Perth, where most forms of prostitution are illegal, had the lowest health and safety levels.
Making prostitution illegal does not stop prostitution. On a per capita basis the number of brothels was broadly comparable between the three cities.
“Whether prostitution is legal or not has little or no impact on the size of the industry,” said Professor Donovan. 
While all three cities delivered broadly comparable health promotion services within the constraints of their budgets, Sydney was better financially resourced, and so provided better targeted services.
Sex workers are increasingly using the Internet and SMS to make client contacts and organise their work. In line with that trend, the researchers recommend that all health promotion programs improve their online services.
ENDS
For more information about this research, contact the research author: Professor Basil Donovan, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales. Phone: 0405 143 061; e-mail: bdonovan@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
MEDIA ONLY: To receive a PDF of the paper or for more information about ANZJPH, contact: Peta Neilson ANZJPH Administration Ph: (03) 9329 3535; E-mail: anzjph@substitution.com.au

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health is published by the Public Health Association of Australia. Information on the Association and the Journal can be found at http://www.phaa.net.au