1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Good morning, and welcome to Friday, the eleventh of February. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: We are at the end of the first sitting week 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 1: in camera. We made it through Mariah, but for today's 4 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: deep dive, we are not focusing on the FEDS. We 5 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: are talking about some Victorian government legislation, which we'll get 6 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: to a little later. But first, there was some big 7 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: news out of camera yesterday. Two nights ago, the House 8 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: of Representatives sat through the night and they debated this 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: religious discrimination Bill, only for it to pass with amendments. 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: Then yesterday we were expecting it to be tabled in 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: the Senate and for debate to ensue there. Then it 12 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: was set to pass and become law. But none of 13 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: that happened. Yesterday. The Government shells the religious Discrimination Bill 14 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: and didn't bring it to debate in the Senate. Coalition 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: sources told the ABC that the government all but guaranteed 16 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: not to bring it back for debate when the Senate 17 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: next sits in March. So what that means is that 18 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: this bill is not going to get up before the 19 00:00:59,480 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: next election. 20 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 2: Yesterday Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded to Grace Taine's claim 21 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 2: that a senior member of a government funded organization told 22 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 2: her last year not to say anything damning about Morrison. 23 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: On the evening of the Australian of the Year Awards 24 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 2: this year, Morrison said the comments were not on my behalf, 25 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 2: nor would they ever be, and they were not made 26 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 2: with my knowledge in any way, shape or form or 27 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 2: by my office. 28 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: Uganda has been ordered by the International Court of Justice 29 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: to pay three hundred and twenty five million US dollars 30 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: in reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo for its 31 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: role in the conflicts in the drcs Etouri province which 32 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: started in the late nineties. The DRC had initially asks 33 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: for eleven billions, so that three hundred and twenty five 34 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: million is substantially less than that. 35 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 2: And now for some good news, the Italian Parliament has 36 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 2: passed a constitutional law that requires the state to protect 37 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: the environment. The law specifically says the state also safeguard 38 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 2: the environment in the interest of future generations. Under the law, 39 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 2: private economic initiatives cannot damage health or the environment. And 40 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 2: moving on to today's deep dive. Today we're talking about 41 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 2: Victoria's big move to decriminalize sex work. 42 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 3: Decriminalization is uh, it's you know, it's not a magic 43 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 3: bullet for sex workers. But it's it's the essential first 44 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 3: step for ensuring that we aren't experiencing discrimination, that we 45 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 3: experience list stigma, and that crucially, our work is recognized 46 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 3: as work. 47 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 2: So, Zara, let's start from the beginning. What does it 48 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: mean to say Victoria has decriminalized sex work. 49 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: So previously sex work was basically only legal in Victoria 50 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: within licensed brothel settings, and the brothel licensing system was 51 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: really really complex to navigate, and it created a lot 52 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: of barriers. Outside those set things, sex work was essentially 53 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: a crime. But now those barriers are essentially gone, and 54 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: sex work is for the first time an industry that'll 55 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: be regulated just like any other industry, like the hospitality 56 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: industry or anything else. So the Department of Health and 57 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: government agencies like work Safe will regulate the industry and 58 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: its workers have the same legal protections and rights as 59 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: anyone else does. If we're to take an example, Mariah, 60 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: sex workers can now report discrimination, they can now report 61 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: unsafe workplaces, and they'll also get all the entitlements that 62 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: other workers already enjoy. 63 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 2: Now, there were some additional changes alongside the decriminalization itself. 64 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 2: Can you walk us through what those changes were. 65 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: Sure, so there where as you say, a whole range 66 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: of accompanying changes. The biggest ones are first anti discrimination provisions, 67 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: so changes have been made to the Equal Opportunity Act 68 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: to specifically refer to sex workers in antidas discrimination law. 69 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: And secondly, a new public health framework will be developed 70 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: to improve access to healthcare and put safe sex standards 71 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: in place. 72 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 2: Right, So is Victoria the first in this regard. 73 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: Well, it's not the first to decriminalize No. New South 74 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: Wales did that in the nineties and the nt did 75 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: it more recently, so Victoria joins those two other jurisdictions 76 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: in Australia. But this state has gone further in terms 77 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: of the extent of the legal framework it's extended to 78 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: the sex work industry. Fiona Patten, who's an MP representing 79 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: the Reason Party in the Victorian Parliament, so she's a 80 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: cross bencher, she's been credited with leading this charge and 81 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: yesterday she told TDA that the changes make Victoria and 82 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: I quote a world leader in sex work. So look, 83 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: it seems like a really significant development in that regard. 84 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 2: And finally TDA spoke to a worker from the industry 85 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 2: to understand how those changes would impact their working life. 86 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 2: What did she say so this. 87 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 1: This worker didn't want to be identified, so we won't 88 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: be talking about her name, but when we spoke to her, 89 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: she emphasized what a precarious position workers in the sex 90 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: industry have been in under the previous arrangements. She said 91 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: that the previous legal frameworks had them and I quote, 92 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: towing a fine line quite often and that it put 93 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: them in danger with threats of police raids, persecution, and 94 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: deportation for some. So it's safe to say she's really 95 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: pleased about this step that's been taken towards dismantling the 96 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: stigma around the industry and also providing the infrastructure for 97 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: it to survive. She did emphasize though, that it shouldn't 98 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: be the end of the road. She also wants to 99 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: see funding for peer led sex work or organizations to 100 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: provide support services to people in the industry, including mental 101 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: health and other healthcare services. So a really, really interesting 102 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: topic and one I must say I didn't know much 103 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: about before this legislation was introduced. And with that, we 104 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,119 Speaker 1: have reached the end of another week of the dally 105 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: Ovs podcast. Thank you for your support. 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