Posted: March 1st, 2023

2000 words This assessment provides you the opportunity to conduct an in-depth analysis of a specific policy reform in which you will aim to persuade political decision makers to adopt the reform

Worth: 30%

Due: 5pm WST – Thursday 27 September 2018

Length: 2000 words

This assessment provides you the opportunity to conduct an in-depth analysis of a specific policy reform in which you will aim to persuade political decision makers to adopt the reform. The format is as a submission to a parliamentary committee using long-form evidence-based writing (with references) but aiming to avoid too much academic jargon.

How will you write and structure your submission?

For the purposes of this assessment, we want you to write your submission in the form of an academic report of 2000 words (including in-text citations but not your reference list or any tables/figures) and you should include a minimum of 20 peer-reviewed references.

When writing your submission you should also include an opening paragraph with a summary of your main points (this is not an introduction but a summary of your submission). This is particularly important for long submissions as busy parliamentarians may not read it in its entirety so make sure that your most salient points are outlined in this summary!

You are required to think critically, examine a variety of viewpoints and develop an argument based on the available evidence. Your submission should present your information, point of view and supporting evidence or reasons clearly, precisely and as succinctly as possible.

Your submission should be in third person. As your arguments should be based on evidence the following statements may be useful for you to model: • The evidence suggests that…

A study of this approach in New Zealand found an increase in…
The legislation may result in… according to…
The implications of this aspect of the reforms could be… Please use standard research paper formatting in conjunction with the instructions above and the marking key to assist you in achieving a high mark.
What policy reform will you write about?

This topic has been selected as they are located outside of the traditional healthcare system (i.e. welfare, environment, justice, commerce) but have direct implications for public health: •

Red Lights and Human Rights: Decriminalisation of sex work
Policy Reform Overview
(this information is provided to give context and a real-world narrative to the topic but youdo not need to understand the detail of any legislation referred to)

In Australia, prostitution laws are matters for the State and Territory Governments. Since the 19th century all Australian jurisdictions had criminalised most activities around prostitution but in the later part of the 20th century these laws became increasingly diverse. Most recently, New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) largely decriminalised prostitution.

The Prostitution Act 2000 and the Criminal Code govern prostitution law in Western Australia (WA). The Prostitution Act 2000 states that sex work is not an offence. However, it is illegal under the Act to live on the earnings of another’s sex work. Street-based sex work is illegal in Western Australia under the Prostitution Act 2000 and the Criminal Code explicitly disallows keeping or managing a brothel (although many exist and operate under a containment policy under the police). Did you follow all that?

A new Prostitution Bill 2011 was proposed by the previous Liberal government in Western Australia to address the confusing and ambiguous nature of the current laws. The proposed legislation sought to legalise and license sex work in WA – a model similar to Victoria and Queensland. It was never passed however as even though the Liberal government had a majority in both houses of parliament there was internal dissent within the party about the position. • Your submission to the Western Australian Community Development and Justice Standing Committee will advocate for the decriminalisation of sex work.

• Alternatively, your submission to the Western AustralianLegislative Council inquiry into Personal Choice and Community Safety will advocate for the decriminalisation of sex work with reference to item 3 in the Terms of Reference. Background Information

The following provide some background information about this complex policy area. They are useful for setting the scene for you and becoming familiar with some of the common terminology.

• • New report shows compelling reasons to decriminalise sex work

Should prostitution be decriminalized?
Evidence not morality should guide sex work policy
Sex workers of the world unite! How striking French sex workers inspired a global labour movement
The following panel was recorded a few years ago in this very class and had the following speakers discussing sex work in WA and the proposed legislation from the Liberal government: • Christian Porter (then WA Attorney General, now Federal Liberal member for Pearce)

Janelle Fawkes (then CEO of Scarlet Alliance, the peak body in Australia for sex workers)
Lisa Baker, MLA (then and still Labor member for Maylands in WA parliament)
Peter Abetz (then Liberal member for Southern River)
https://soundcloud.com/jonathan-hallett-curtin/sex-work-law-reform-panel

Bibliography Starter
The above articles and media should provide you with a basic understanding of the topic. However we expect you to rely on peer-reviewed journal articles and academic reports to write your actual submission. The following articles are a starting point for your review of the literature. You are not obliged to use these but if you do you still need to locate additional evidence beyond these to support your submission. • Donovan et al. (2010) Improving the health of sex workers in NSW: maintaining success. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 21(3-4); 74-77
Selvey, L. A., Lobo, R. C., McCausland, K. L., Donovan, B., Bates J., & Hallett, J. (2018) Challenges Facing Asian Sex Workers in Western Australia: Implications for Health Promotion and Support Services. Frontiers in Public Health, 6(171).
Weitzer, R. (2009) Legalizing Prostitution: Morality Politics in Western Australia. British Journal of Criminology, 49; 88-105.
Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., Egger, S., Schneider, K., O’Connor, J., Marshall, L., Chen, M.Y., & Fairley, C.K. (2010). The Sex Industry in Western Australia: a Report to the Western Australian Government. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales.
Rekart, M. (2005) Sex-work harm reduction. The Lancet, 366; 2123-2134.
Harcourt, C., van Beek, I., Heslop, J., McMahon, M. & Donovan, B. (2001) The health and welfare needs of female and transgender street sex workers in New South Wales. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(1); 84–89.
The Lancet Series – HIV and Sex Workers: https://monkessays.com/write-my-essay/thelancet.com/series/HIV-and-sex-workers

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