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𝗜𝗻 𝗡𝗧, 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮, 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗧 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 ‘𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸’ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 ‘𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿’, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱.

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀.

Sex workers wish to thank the Northern Territory Labor Government for their continual work in ensuring that comprehensive consultation has been conducted throughout a very long and careful process to achieve the best possible amendments to protect Territorians, and ultimately fully modernise The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act 1992.

“Importantly, the NT Government has consulted with the most marginalised groups to ensure coverage was provided through inclusive and appropriate attributes. Like other marginalised communities, sex workers require equitable law reform which recognises the pervasive and unique effect that sex work stigma has on our lives, health, safety, and standing in the community,” says Sex Worker Reference Group member and Scarlet Alliance - Australian Sex Workers Association Vice President, Sienna Charles.

𝗦𝗲𝘅 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 Member Willow Beth states, “Sex workers experience widespread and pervasive stigma and discrimination in every facet of our lives, with devastating impacts on our safety, housing and accommodation, financial stability, mental health and wellbeing and with limited avenues for redress. Crucially, today's reforms provide an opportunity for sex workers to seek redress when experiencing discrimination and sends a message to the community that discrimination against sex workers and our work is unacceptable.”

By protecting sex workers and our work within the NT Anti-Discrimination Act 2022, the Labor government has ensured the realisation of the Objects of the Sex Industry Act 2019 in recognising sex work as a legitimate form of work that needs to be regulated through standard business, Work Health & Safety, and other industrial protections to safeguard sex worker’s safety and rights.

Scarlet Alliance Australian Sex Workers Association, the Sex Worker Outreach Program (SWOP NT) and the Sex Worker Reference Group (SWRG) provided comprehensive evidence and case studies that demonstrated systemic discrimination against sex workers and our work, throughout the Northern Territory Government’s extensive consultation processes.

“We would like to thank the NT Labor Government, and in particular, through the duration of our advocacy to the Ministers who have held the position of the Attorney General;  Chief Minister, Honourable Natasha Fyles, Honourable Selena Uibo: , and to the current Attorney General Honourable Chansey Paech: for listening to us and hearing our issues and concerns throughout the process of achieving protections for sex workers who work in the NT,” says SWOP NT Coordinator, Leanne Melling.

CEO of Scarlet Alliance, Jules Kim says, “This is a momentous day for all sex workers and sets a positive example that sex workers are valued members of the community, deserving of rights and protections against vilification and discrimination with recourse to access justice through the passing of this Bill. These critical reforms will continue to demonstrate the importance of best practice partnerships between sex workers and the government and will hopefully inspire similar campaigns for robust anti-discrimination protections for sex work and sex workers and decriminalisation of sex work reforms in other states and territories throughout Australia.”

Rainbow Territory Unions NT Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) NAPWHA Hepatitis Australia Northern Territory Council of Social Service

#NTAHC #SWOPNT #SWRG #ScarletAlliance #AntiDiscriminationCommission