KINGSTON mayor Georgina Oxley has praised a police crackdown on the operation of illegal brothels in the area.
In the last month two illegal brothels in Moorabin had proscription orders placed on them. The last two years has seen court action lead to prosecution against 15 illegal brothels in the Kingston municipality.
In October 2017 Kingston Council spearheaded a push to call for a clamp down on the rise of illegal brothels in Victoria. At a Municipal Association of Victoria state council meeting, Kingston won the support of other councils in urging the state Labor government to focus more time and resources into an illegal brothel crackdown. (“Brothel busters on beat”, The News, 1/11/17)
Cr Oxley said that it was encouraging that their push to shut down illegal brothels has resulted in action.
“In 2017, Kingston Council initiated an MAV campaign urging the Victorian government to take greater police action to crack down on illegal ‘massage’ businesses across Victoria,” she said.
“Kingston Council wrote to the Victorian minister for police calling for appropriate resourcing to address this significant issue and urged Victoria Police to use the Sex Work Act to investigate and shut down illegal brothels.
“It is wonderful to see that our calls for help are being heard and the campaign to stamp out illegal brothels in Victoria is gaining traction.”
Cr Oxley applauded police for stepping up to help close the doors of more illegal operations.
“It is wonderful to see that Victoria Police has taken a strong stand against this growing issue, which Kingston has had a long held commitment to stamp out. In response to community concerns, we have been fighting for years to close illegal brothels in Kingston,” she said.
The Victoria Police Sex Industry Coordination Unit said that 59 “massage parlours” in the state had been closed down since July 2018.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 20 March 2019