Email sent to Tasmania Attorney General Guy Barnett on 13 July 2026
Dear Attorney General Barnett,
Re: Request for Review of the Sex Industry Offences Act 2005 and Adoption of the Nordic Model to Address Violence, Exploitation and Barriers to Exit
I am writing on behalf of Women Speak Tasmania to urge you to initiate a comprehensive, independent review of the Sex Industry Offences Act 2005, with a view to adopting the Nordic/Equality Model. Recent public calls for full decriminalisation, including from Mr Phillip Cox, risk expanding an industry that evidence shows increases harm to women and girls rather than reducing it.
We have received a detailed, anonymised statement from a woman currently working in the sex industry (attached for your reference). Her account illustrates the lived realities under decriminalised or lightly regulated frameworks in other jurisdictions. She describes:
- Normalisation of physical violence (smacking, choking, punching) and verbal abuse from clients, often linked to violent pornography.
- Management pressure and coercion to serve clients she does not wish to, including trans-identified males, creating what she describes as a “rapey” workplace culture. On one occasion she was threatened with non-payment unless she complied.
- Financial and institutional barriers (difficulty accessing personal/business banking, EFTPOS, and mortgages) that trap women in the industry, even when they wish to exit. As a sole trader she cannot “lose her job,” yet banks cite “unstable income” while denying her housing security.
- Pre-existing and work-induced trauma, with many women in the industry carrying PTSD; her psychologist noted the difficulty of treating trauma that is ongoing.
This testimony demonstrates that decriminalisation does not eliminate coercion, exploitation, or pressure on women to provide sexual access. It can institutionalise a culture where women’s right to refuse is undermined by management or framed through anti-discrimination arguments. Many women, including single mothers and those with disabilities, enter and remain in the industry due to economic necessity and lack of viable alternatives — not genuine choice.
We are particularly concerned by Mr Cox’s claim that decriminalising brothels will stop child exploitation. This is mistaken. The 2010 Tasmanian case in which a 12-year-old girl was prostituted by her mother and partner occurred under the current partial criminalisation framework, yet similar vulnerabilities persist across legal models. The root drivers — male demand, poverty, trauma, and coercion — are not addressed by expanding commercial operations.
The tragic 2020 death of Jingai Zhang in Launceston at the hands of a sex buyer further underscores the violence enabled by unchecked demand. Rising reports of violence against women and the push from commercial industry interests in Victoria for full decriminalisation add urgency to a Tasmanian review.
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, in her 2024 report (Prostitution and violence against women and girls, A/HRC/56/48), states:
“States must avoid becoming ‘pimp States’ by legalizing or profiting from prostitution; instead they must adopt laws that suppress exploitation and expand protections for victims.”
The report emphasises that prostitution functions as a system of gendered violence and exploitation driven by male demand and structural inequality. Legalisation or decriminalisation frequently expands the market and trafficking risks, while the Nordic Model — which criminalises buyers and third-party profiteers while decriminalising and supporting prostituted persons — demonstrably reduces demand and provides exit pathways.
We respectfully request that you:
- Commission an independent review of the Sex Industry Offences Act 2005, taking into account the UN Special Rapporteur’s findings, lived-experience evidence, and outcomes in other jurisdictions.
- Adopt the Nordic/Equality Model: criminalise the purchase of sexual services and third-party profiteering (including brothel ownership and management), while decriminalising prostituted persons and resourcing comprehensive exit supports (housing, trauma-informed care, vocational training, and financial assistance).
- Ensure robust investigation and enforcement of existing offences under the current Act, with annual public reports on prosecutions, victim identifications, and support provided, to improve transparency and accountability.
- Strengthen protections against child sexual exploitation, recognising that demand reduction — not expansion of commercial sex — is the most effective preventive approach.
- Address the structural barriers (banking, housing, Centrelink interactions) highlighted in the attached statement that prevent women from exiting the industry.
Women Speak Tasmania would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your officers to discuss these matters further and to provide additional evidence, including the full statement from the woman in the industry.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these important issues affecting the safety, dignity, and rights of Tasmanian women and girls.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Elizabeth Caballero
Retired General Practitioner
President | Women Speak Tasmania
Attachment:
Testimony from a prostituted woman