Kingston’s clamp down on illegal brothels gains traction

19 March 2019

Kingston welcomes a commitment from Victoria Police to tackle the growing issue of illegal brothels in Melbourne’s suburbs.

This week, a spokesperson from Victoria Police’s Sex Industry Coordination Unit (SICU) spoke out about the scale of the problem, which has resulted in 59 massage parlours closing down since July last year; almost half of these, the result of Victoria Police taking the matter to the Magistrates Court.

Kingston Mayor Georgina Oxley said 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.

“Just this month, the City of Kingston has had successful outcomes at the Magistrates Court, with proscription orders placed on two illegal brothels which have been operating in Moorabbin,” said Cr Oxley.

“In response to community concerns, we have been fighting for years to close illegal brothels in Kingston.”

Over the past two years Kingston Council has taken strong action against illegal brothels, with court action leading to prosecutions against 15 illegal brothels.

In 2017, Kingston Council initiated a Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) campaign urging the Victorian Government to take greater police action to crack down on illegal ‘massage’ businesses across Victoria.

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,” said Cr Oxley.