Sex work regulation
Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (17:30): (1774) My adjournment matter is to the Minister for Workplace Safety, and the action that I seek is for the minister to ensure that a course is developed to provide accreditation for the health and safety practices within the sex work industry. Many industries have training in health and safety practices, especially those that may involve bodily fluids. Hairdressers undergo it as part of their training, beauticians undergo it as part of their training and as a doctor of Chinese medicine I studied infection control as part of my degree. People working in hospitality have to gain a qualification in food handling, and all of these industries and heaps of others have to go through regular inspections by health inspectors. Many other industries where safety is an issue have occupational health and safety advisers and are subject to inspections, yet we have sex workers that have no training and no occupational health and safety advisers responsible for not only their own health and safety but also that of their clients. Now, with the decriminalisation of the industry, we can expect an increase in home-based businesses, which means that the health and safety of other family members also need to be considered. Rather than just having a set of guidelines that are yet to be developed by the Department of Health, it seems logical to devise a course and accreditation for the industry for the health and safety of all Victorians.