Fingerprint plan for prostitutes

If the State Government’s draft prostitution Bill is passed, brothel operators in Rockingham and Kwinana will have to be fingerprinted.

Attorney-General Christian Porter originally outlined the proposed legislation saying prostitutes would also have their prints taken.

But on June 14, when he released the draft Bill for public comment until July 29, Mr Porter s a i d he had amended the legislation so it would only be necessary for a prostitute to be fingerprinted if there was some suspicion as to the prostitute’s identity.

The legislation would also require the Kwinana and Rockingham councils to amend town planning schemes to allow brothels to operate in light industrial areas.

‘‘Individual prostitutes, and brothel managers and operators will be required to possess a licence, and conduct business from premises approved for that purpose via local government planning processes,’’ he said.

Mr Porter said his legislation would ban all forms of prostitution including streetwalkers from residential areas.

He said there had only been one brothel-based conviction in 10 years, compared with more than 230 street-based convictions, so a better system was needed to ensure public complaints about brothel-based prostitution were responded to properly and police were given expanded powers to shut down illegal brothels.

The legislation will not change the laws to dowith street-walkers or those soliciting them, both of which remain illegal.

‘‘The present offences relating to street-walking are unchanged,’’ he said.