ABSTRACT

Prostitution remains legal under the very limited circumstances of one worker working from home and other activities are illegal. In contrast, the New South Wales Select Committee, and the more common definition, views legalisation as the state whereby the activities are legal but are accompanied by regulation. One of the most significant aspects of the legislation is that it takes the sex worker out of the sphere of work. The effect of making the only legal form of work for prostitutes that of working alone from home has been to render most workers more vulnerable and more isolated. A. Hunter suggests that the term ‘sex work’ was first used in Australia to avoid the stigma associated with other terms for prostitution. This conceptualisation continues to incite outrage and protest from groups representing a wide range of perspectives. Women’s sexual needs are less likely to be expressed, while men are more likely to conform to social norms and expectations.