Sex is a huge part of our lives, our very existence depends on it. Yet its treated and practiced differently in every society. Explore sexuality down under, from the extraordinary to the taboo, in this must see documentary.
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00:00I'm Nathan Hill, actor, writer, traveller, and I'm on a world tour to uncover the sexual
00:07culture and traditions of people in exotic locations all over the globe.
00:11Sex is part of our lives, bodies and minds.
00:14Our very existence depends on it.
00:16Yet it's treated and practiced differently in every society.
00:19I'll encounter the extraordinary, the festive, the tragic, the unseen and the taboo.
00:24It's going to be a fascinating ride.
00:26So join me as I lay bare the universal instinct that we all share.
00:30In sex around the world.
00:35I've just arrived in Melbourne, a burgeoning metropolis of over four million people and
00:39the second largest city in Australia.
00:41It's known for its multicultural society, art precincts, sporting communities, and exceptional
00:45coffee culture, which I hope to sample.
00:48I'm told the people here are laid back in their attitude towards life, work, and their
00:52attitude to sex.
00:53In fact, the locals here refer to this island continent as a lucky country because of the
00:57great weather, beautiful beaches, accessible healthcare, and their opportunities for education.
01:02I'm here to explore how the laid back attitude extends towards sexual behaviour and how the
01:07abundance of erotic stores, strip clubs, and prostitution has affected this society.
01:11I'm going to talk with sex workers, swingers, a brothel madam, a male escort, bondage dominatrix,
01:17and even local teenagers to unearth all of Melbourne's sexual culture.
01:20And I'm going to start here at the inner city suburb of Richmond, the passion fruit sensuality
01:25shop.
01:26It's part of a growing trend, a new type of sex store that doesn't hide in a dark alley
01:30behind black windows.
01:32In fact, it's right smack bang in the middle of one of the city's most popular fashion
01:35strips.
01:36And sure, it's about sex, but it doesn't run from it, it embraces it.
01:40The manager, Michelle, has agreed to show me around.
01:42So the women that come in are probably women that haven't been into sex shops much before
01:47and would refuse to go into a sex shop.
01:50And women need to feel comfortable, they need to, you know, have a nice sort of, a nice shop
01:55to browse in and have a look at.
01:56And maybe not something that's just about sex, that's something that really involves, you
02:02know, everything to do with sex.
02:03And that sort of, to me, is a more sensual sort of...
02:06So less intimidating as far as your sort of classic sex shop goes.
02:10That's part of the philosophy as well, where sex is more than just the act, it's the anticipation,
02:17it's the, you know, the mind, humour, everything like that, and sensuality, soft things and
02:24lingerie, that kind of thing.
02:25And what if you get out the back?
02:27And then we ask people to come and have a look in our bathroom.
02:30So we part the little curtain here.
02:32Part of the philosophy too was that women should be able to look and feel before they buy.
02:38It's one of the most personal products they'll ever buy.
02:41Can you tell us a little bit in more detail how these work?
02:44Because I notice you've got, like, do they call, they call that the rabbit, don't they?
02:46Yeah, these are called the rabbit vibrators.
02:49For example, they have a vibrating clitoral stimulator and a rotating internal shaft.
02:56So you can use the shaft internally and that generally rotates with beads inside for a little
03:01bit of extra stimulation and then you get a little clitoral vibrator here.
03:06So you're getting internal penetration and clitoral external stimulation at the same time.
03:12So that's pretty much everything.
03:14And this is probably really where the whole industry is going towards more luxury toys made
03:20by really good designers.
03:22These are all rechargeable as well, so there's no need for batteries anymore.
03:25You can just charge them up like you charge your phone.
03:27It's beautifully made, you know, it looks gorgeous.
03:29That really makes a big difference to women, the look of it.
03:32Okay.
03:33And something like this, for example, which is just a clitoral stimulator, it just looks
03:36so lovely.
03:38Looks like a little massage stone or something.
03:40Just hold it in your palm and you can use it to, um, and men like these as well.
03:47Right.
03:47Yeah.
03:48But just to use while you're having sex over the clitoris.
03:51Yeah, it's fantastic.
03:52Isn't that beautiful?
03:53As well as effective.
03:53These toys were fun, but I really wanted to find out from Michelle what she thought the
03:59benefits of the Passion Fruit store were for Melbourne.
04:02Well, there's the obvious physical, emotional, spiritual benefits, but I just think, um, a
04:07healthy sex life and growing up with a healthy attitude towards sex just probably gives you
04:13a bit more respect for yourself and for your partner.
04:16And that's going to lead to better decisions and a better person that you will be.
04:21And that sort of leads to a better, more nourishing society, I guess.
04:24Indeed.
04:25Sex stores have now entered the mainstream in Melbourne.
04:28The leading example of this mainstreaming of sex shops is the blossoming 12-store empire
04:33known as Sexyland.
04:34In fact, Sexyland describes itself as a department store where one would normally go in and buy
04:38furniture or kitchen goods.
04:40But I'm sure there's nothing as boring as that in there.
04:44Nice to meet you.
04:45Good to see you.
04:45Thanks for having us.
04:46Not a problem at all.
04:47Can you give us a tour?
04:48Certainly.
04:49Come through.
04:49So basically what it's based on, it's based on very open and friendly environment and fun
04:55environment.
04:56So we're talking about, um, first timers and starting out using products in the store.
05:02You'd say that the oils were a good starting point.
05:04That's right.
05:05Oils and body chocolates as well.
05:07So you can, you can, that's the chocolate paste.
05:09You can actually lick that off.
05:10Either, um, sauce.
05:11Yep.
05:12Or this one, which has a little brush and you actually paint it on and then eat it.
05:16Cool.
05:16Okay, so new products.
05:19We have the Tickler Treat.
05:22Can you go into a bit of detail?
05:23Basically, this is a range of dongs and anal toys.
05:26Um, they're made out of, um, silicon.
05:29Basically, well, that means that the toy is non-porous and it's very safe for your body.
05:33So just looking at the Star Performer series here, um, women actually use these?
05:39Well, we don't actually ask these things.
05:41What to do with them once they buy them?
05:43Right.
05:43Okay, so these have intrigued me.
05:45We've got nearly $600 for Brie Olsen Cyberskin Doggy Style Vibrating Pussy and Arse.
05:51That's right.
05:52Interesting.
05:53That's right.
05:53Um, so we're talking, what are these made of?
05:55Are they latex?
05:56I know, they're actually made of Cyberskin, exactly what you said.
05:59Right.
05:59And it's a really, really, um, nice-feeling material.
06:02It feels as close to human skin as possible.
06:05Oh, goodness.
06:05Uh, and that one's actually been moulded off Brie Olsen, who's an adult star.
06:09As far as customer demographics go, is it more men than women?
06:12Really, with the age group, anything from young adults right up to elderly.
06:19Okay, really?
06:19Yeah, I've had a couple that was over 70, so I'd say that's elderly, yeah.
06:23And everything in between.
06:24Given that the business is booming, um, in your opinion, does Melbourne have a,
06:29more liberal or conservative idea to the industry?
06:34Yeah, I think everyone is really welcoming.
06:37Um, even when I say where I work, people are really happy to know
06:40and they're really intrigued that they want to know.
06:42And most people are happy to come into the store.
06:45This is much more like a supermarket.
06:47Exactly.
06:47It's white light.
06:48This is quite a bit different.
06:48Everyone's open about it.
06:50That's right.
06:50The customers like that, they come in, they're very open about it.
06:52Absolutely.
06:52Everyone's comfortable.
06:53Everyone's comfortable.
06:53They're very open about it and they're comfortable because it is exactly what you explained,
06:56that it is bright and it's, um, well, it's not dark and dingy and it's not blacked out windows.
07:02I mean, we have latest lingerie fashion in our windows.
07:05No, no newspapers blacking out the windows, no.
07:08There's, all these items are basically created and they're here to help people in their relationship.
07:14Their relationships are really hard to maintain.
07:17So any little bit helps.
07:19So what do you think the benefits are of having a sexy land where people can come in and buy these products?
07:23What are long-term benefits of having an establishment like this?
07:25Hmm, the more happy people, probably the better for the community.
07:30I don't, like we sell mostly things that would make people happy.
07:33Whether they're on their own or whether they're, as a couple, I think probably the more happy people, the better.
07:41So if sex really is all around, becoming more prevalent, how do Melbournians feel about it?
07:45And what is the social impact?
07:47I'm here to meet with local writer and sex expert, Claire Halliday.
07:51Hopefully she can shed some light on the subject.
07:52I think we're kind of secretly sexually conservative and we're sort of forced to live in a society that wants us to believe that we're sexually liberal.
08:01So we do have this plethora of, you know, sex stores and brothels and things like that.
08:06But, you know, try asking somebody if they've been to one or, you know, and get an honest answer.
08:12They might be there, but nobody wants to admit that they, you know, utilise the services.
08:17So in that way, we're sexually conservative, I guess.
08:20Obviously people are using them.
08:21They wouldn't be on every corner if they weren't making profits.
08:25Sure.
08:26But I think, you know, nobody's really going to own up to, you know, visiting a brothel.
08:30Are you shocked at the information that's so available to your own kids?
08:36I'm not particularly shocked by anything anymore because I've spent a lot of years researching different aspects of the sex industry and I've seen and heard all kinds of things that make me kind of unshockable at the moment.
08:46But in terms of my own children, I think there is a lot of information out there that I'm disappointed in that, you know, like I said, the articles in Girlfriend teaching you how to have safe anal sex.
08:58I don't want my daughter to read that when she's 13.
09:01So they're making it more acceptable or look like it should be the norm.
09:05Yeah, and obviously that's been sold to them, you know, on a societal level, on a broader societal level, I guess from, you know, the stream of sexualised material that is just in your face, especially in the last 10 years.
09:17We're giving kids today so much sexualised material, yet sex education in schools is lacking.
09:23So we're throwing all this sexualised material at them.
09:25We're not giving them the context to properly understand it.
09:28And while we're teaching them the nuts and bolts of the mechanics of what goes where, I don't think we're teaching them the emotional aspects and, you know, how to make good choices and respect and things like that.
09:42So, Claire, just on a final note, what do you hope your book, Do You Want Sex With That?
09:47will achieve.
09:48So I'm hoping that anybody reading the book, it might just make them think more.
09:53It might just make them look at what's going on, you know, around us as a society and question whether they think it's gone too far.
10:00And if they do think that, then, you know, what do we do next?
10:03I just want people to look more closely at what we're being fed and maybe question if it's the right thing and what we can do about it.
10:11Claire painted a picture of Melbourne as very confused about its sexual identity.
10:15But in a city that considers itself sophisticated, cosmopolitan and intellectual, is it compatible that here on King Street, in the middle of the CBD, there are mega strip clubs that cater to thousands of men every night?
10:26With names like Showgirls Bar 20, Club X, Crazy Horse, even the international franchise Spearmint Rhino.
10:32I'm told it's built on a long-entrenched party culture of after-works drinks and pre-wedding bucks nights.
10:39Stripper, or exotic dancer if you prefer, Honey, has agreed to talk with me.
10:43So why did you choose this as a job compared to, you know, other jobs?
10:47Other jobs.
10:48Well, sort of the pay, because I'm living on my own with my younger brother and I have to raise him and everything, so I just thought I'd start doing the stripper job.
10:59It's good money.
10:59How did you feel when you did your first dance live on stage?
11:03Well, I felt a lot of butterflies and I'm like, oh my God, what am I doing up here?
11:08How am I going to do this?
11:09Like, you know, you've got so many people watching you.
11:12But I just said, okay, I've got to be confident.
11:14And one of the other strippers that was teaching me said, just be confident, do the job and you'll get through it.
11:20So, yeah.
11:20Do you make a lot of money in this profession?
11:22Like, at the end of the week, do you go, hmm, are you satisfied with the cash that I'm getting?
11:26Yeah, yeah, I am satisfied with the cash that I'm getting.
11:28But it does go, it's not like, everyone's like, oh, you're a stripper, you know, you're rich.
11:34And it's like, but it does go on things, do you know what I mean?
11:36Like, you've got to buy your make-ups and you've got to cut off the products that you need for yourself.
11:42Do your family and friends know a bit?
11:43This, I mean, obviously your younger brother, he knows what you do.
11:46Yeah, my younger brother does.
11:47Do your friends know or do you have friends that have got no idea?
11:50I've got a few friends that know and a few friends that have no idea and I won't tell them.
11:53I know which ones will stick by me and which ones understand and which ones don't.
11:58So the ones that do understand, I'd tell.
12:00So there is a stigma then because there's some people you won't tell because you're scared of their reaction?
12:04Exactly, yeah.
12:05Okay.
12:05And my parents don't know either.
12:07They don't?
12:07No.
12:08How do you find the customers, the males, how do they treat you?
12:11I've had a lot of respect for, like, guys that haven't tried to do anything to me or anything or disrespect me,
12:17but sometimes you get sleazers in there trying to take photos of you.
12:20Oh, yeah.
12:21So that's the part where it's, you know.
12:23On their mobile phones and try and shoot a video or something.
12:26Yes.
12:26Do the customers proposition you for sex after a show or during the night?
12:31Do you get guys coming on to you?
12:32Yeah, yeah.
12:33I've had a few guys ask, oh, do you want to come home with me, $1,000, $2,000?
12:37It's like, you know, your money's not worth it.
12:38It's only the dance.
12:39Do you know what I mean?
12:40It's like, that's as far as I'll go and dance.
12:43So you don't cross the line there.
12:45No.
12:46No way.
12:47What about your long-term career prospects?
12:49Like, do you want to stay here until you finish your uni?
12:51Is it so easy?
12:51Do you want to keep going?
12:52Yes.
12:52I want to keep going, so I want to keep, like, doing this.
12:56But I want to pay off, like, help it pay off my studies and everything.
13:00Honey is a dancer at Maxine's,
13:02an establishment that belongs to the Queen of Melbourne's adult industry
13:06and high-profile social identity, Maxine Fenson.
13:10In a business dominated by men, Maxine bucks the trend.
13:14Not only is she the city's biggest provider
13:16of private strip services and dances,
13:18she also runs five erotic websites, an escort service,
13:22started the Australian Adult Industry Awards
13:24and even campaigned for Parliament.
13:27But perhaps she'd like me to introduce her
13:29in the words she uses to describe herself,
13:31the Queen of Pussy.
13:33Maxine, you have a fascinating story.
13:35Please share with us some of your journey.
13:37Well, basically, I fell into this business
13:38and if anyone said that I was going to work in this sort of industry,
13:41I would have said, no, I don't think so.
13:43So I saw an ad in one of the papers
13:45and they went to Topper's waitress
13:47and I ummed and ah'd for about three weeks.
13:49I eventually plucked up the courage
13:51and went for an interview,
13:53had to show this dirty old man my boobs
13:55and, of course, they got the job.
13:57Stayed there a week
13:58and he was doing, like, these, like, lunches
14:01and I thought, oh, I could do that
14:02and I could do it, you know, kind of nicer
14:05and I knew lots of men.
14:06So that's how Maxine started.
14:08Then I started, like, a stripping agency
14:09and then prostitution became legal
14:12so then I applied for a licence.
14:14I was one of the first people
14:15to get an escort agency licence.
14:17So then I did that
14:18and then I started doing lots of events as well
14:21like Dildo Rama, Miss Nude, Miss Dream Girl, Miss Erotica.
14:26I founded the Adult Industry Awards
14:28which is 11 years strong.
14:30I've been here for three and a half years.
14:31Great girls, good staff, good management,
14:33all female management too, I might add.
14:35And to be honest, that's the way I like it.
14:37But it's a family atmosphere.
14:40It's a very friendly environment here.
14:42What state is the adult industry in in Melbourne, do you think?
14:46Well, I think we're all sort of struggling
14:48just to keep our head above water
14:50just on a political level.
14:51The police have been fairly heavy-handed
14:53with the adult industry
14:55and I think that's the struggle for all of us
14:57on a day-to-day basis
14:59and just the red tape and the bureaucracy
15:01of running this sort of legal business.
15:04People have no understanding,
15:05particularly politicians,
15:07about how this business is.
15:09They're afraid.
15:10They don't want to know about it
15:11so they kind of penalise us.
15:13You know, it's hard when, you know,
15:15we're open-minded people
15:16and we just want to run our business
15:17and then you've got people
15:18who don't understand our business
15:20and all they want to do
15:21is basically close it down.
15:23So as far as the adult industry is concerned,
15:25do you believe it has a positive
15:26or negative effect on society?
15:28I think, myself, it's positive.
15:31You know, it's employment.
15:32It's a legally run business.
15:35It's run by a woman, as far as my business.
15:37I think, you know, girls can come in here
15:39and make a lot of money
15:39as long as they're focused
15:41and, you know, give yourself five years
15:43and make some money
15:44and buy, you know, a portfolio of houses
15:46and set yourself up.
15:53You only have to spend a night in Melbourne
16:02to realise it as an energetic party scene.
16:05You see, alcohol is available from age 18
16:07and every weekend,
16:08teenagers and 20-somethings
16:09pour into the city
16:10to drink and dance the night away.
16:12Some of them even end up at recovery parties,
16:14which might seem like a contradiction,
16:16but I'm assured it's not.
16:17But you see, Melbourne is also
16:19a maze of laneways and alleys
16:21and sometimes it's hard to find
16:23the right club to go to
16:24unless you're in the know.
16:26But luckily, tonight for us,
16:27we're in the know
16:28and we're heading off
16:29to Trendy Baroque House.
16:30What's a normal Saturday night like here
16:48as far as meeting someone's concerned
16:51or picking up?
16:52Picking up.
16:54I don't know.
16:54There's a lot to choose from here.
16:56There's a lot more girls, though,
16:57isn't there?
16:58The guys.
16:58At the moment, yes.
16:59Yeah, which is probably a good thing,
17:02you know?
17:02So at what time does this place go till?
17:05I don't know, maybe like 4, 4.30.
17:07And you're here every Saturday?
17:09Yeah.
17:10Yeah? Awesome.
17:11How do you find the sexual culture
17:13in Melbourne as a whole?
17:16Melbourne's very liberated.
17:17And is picking up the main thing
17:19here at Baroque House?
17:22You would think so.
17:23If you haven't looked around tonight,
17:24there's plenty of women here for the men
17:26and I think 90% of people
17:28what they come out for
17:29is to pick up ladies
17:31and the ladies to pick up the guys.
17:32So to have more sex
17:33and have more fun,
17:34that's what I can say.
17:35That's all.
17:36How are you going?
17:52Hi.
17:53What's your name?
17:54Ola.
17:55Ola?
17:55Yeah.
17:56How are you?
17:56Good, how are you?
17:57I'm great.
17:57What's your name?
17:58My name's Nathan.
17:59Can you tell me what you think
18:00about sexual culture in Melbourne?
18:02I think these days
18:04people are slugged,
18:06like real bad.
18:07Like, you buy a girl two drinks
18:09and she's like,
18:10yeah, I'll bang you,
18:11but like, it's fucking wrong.
18:13Yeah?
18:13Yeah.
18:14That's interesting.
18:15How many guys do you have hit on you
18:17when you go out on any particular night,
18:18like on a Saturday night?
18:19Countless.
18:20Yeah?
18:21Yeah.
18:21Do you think that alcohol and drugs
18:24plays a big part in sexual culture in Melbourne?
18:27Because once you're high,
18:29free love.
18:30Yeah.
18:32Thank you so much for your time.
18:34Nice to meet you.
18:36What do you think about same-sex picking up?
18:38Like, do you know,
18:39like, do many of your girlfriends
18:40or yourself ever pick up girls?
18:41I think when girls go out together,
18:44they're more affectionate than guys,
18:45so they kind of fool around in that
18:47and it's just for kicks.
18:48Like, they don't,
18:50you know,
18:50it doesn't usually mean anything,
18:52but then again,
18:53it is awkward
18:54when you kiss a girl
18:55and they are a lesbian.
18:57That's a little bit awkward.
18:59I also had a chance to talk to Darren,
19:01who was organising tonight's club event,
19:03and ask him about the sexual culture in Melbourne.
19:07And that's, you know,
19:08that's the environment that we're running here.
19:10It's making sure that everyone can meet
19:11who they want to meet
19:12and make sure they can have fun while they do it.
19:14But certainly there's a lot of that sexual activity in Melbourne
19:16and just, whether you know about it or not,
19:18you know, people are out there every week
19:20and they're meeting new people.
19:21I think people are a lot more active than they let off.
19:24Do you think alcohol and or drugs
19:25is a big influence towards the sexual culture
19:28and sexual exploration that goes down to the inner city?
19:32Yeah, look, that's another great question.
19:33You see, there's a lot of guys who are into the drugs
19:37and a lot of girls follow that about them.
19:39So, you know,
19:40it's sometimes sad to see what some people will do
19:43to be part of that experience.
19:44But I think it does play a huge part,
19:46probably more than we think.
19:47But certainly, you know,
19:49behind closed doors,
19:50anyone can do what they like.
19:51The idea of teenagers bumping into each other on the dance floor
20:09is a little too tame for some people's tastes.
20:12You see, there's a thriving underground swingers culture
20:14here in Melbourne that dates back to the 1960s.
20:17So we're going to head out into the suburbs
20:18to talk to the host of Club True Blue,
20:20one of Melbourne's longest-running swingers clubs.
20:23Welcome, Nathan.
20:24Thanks, guys.
20:25This is where we hold our parties, Club True Blue.
20:27Can you tell us about the club itself and how it began?
20:31Well, we started the parties back in, well, 2000 now,
20:35so it's 10 years or so.
20:37So you obviously enjoy it because it's kept going.
20:40Like, it actually has to be couples.
20:41Yeah, it's only couples that we run for, yeah.
20:44Okay.
20:45Just for swinging couples.
20:46I suppose the history of swinging is couples.
20:48It is couples.
20:48Yeah, yeah.
20:49I mean, we're occasionally, as in singles,
20:51singles ladies but not single men.
20:53You seem to attract all sorts of people
20:55from all different walks of life
20:57and, yeah, there's nothing really specific
21:00that you'd say that there's a certain type of person.
21:02But you guys are obviously comfortable,
21:03perhaps more comfortable even physically
21:06than a lot of other people.
21:07After speaking from a female perspective,
21:11you know, a lot of women out there have body issues
21:13and all the rest of it.
21:14The parties have really helped me overcome that
21:16because everyone sort of, when they dress down,
21:19they're walking around in lingerie or nothing
21:20and no-one cares what you look like.
21:24Yeah.
21:24It's a comfortable environment
21:25and everybody here are thinking the same way.
21:30Wow.
21:30Exactly.
21:30I suppose the best way for when I describe it
21:32to first-timers is like going to a friend's place
21:34for a party.
21:35Yeah.
21:35Or very friendly, very relaxed, very casual,
21:37just obviously with the added...
21:38That's it, yeah.
21:39Yeah.
21:40I really wanted to find out why couples engage in swinging
21:43and to answer this, David and Julie took me
21:45to their bedroom.
21:47Yeah, because I think it's a natural part of life
21:49that we all enjoy the sex
21:50and for the fact that you can experience it
21:54with your partner, we all have different fantasies
21:56and so forth, one partner might not be able
21:58to provide all that.
22:00And then you get people that are cheating
22:02and have affairs and go behind their backs
22:04and have all these secrets and things
22:05to try and live that life, whereas you don't.
22:08You don't need to in this sort of lifestyle.
22:10You can enjoy everything you want.
22:12It's all very open and honest.
22:13So if you could run us through a normal night here
22:16for the events, how they unfold from start to finish,
22:18what would we expect if we came down on our first time?
22:21When people first arrive, either David or myself
22:23will show people into the house,
22:24we'll show them around, introduce them
22:27to all the other people that are here
22:28and then usually for about the first hour
22:30hour and a half, very social.
22:32People have a few drinks, mix and mingle.
22:33We've got a spa set up out in our garage.
22:37Then after that time, people will dress down,
22:40whatever they're comfortable wearing,
22:41lingerie, erotic gear,
22:42and head off into the rooms for a bit of fun.
22:45Then about an hour or so, people will come up with some fresh air,
22:49have a few drinks, sort of freshen themselves up
22:52and then the evenings usually finish up one-third-ish thereabouts.
22:56How is it that you are strong enough and are able to overcome the feeling of jealousy?
23:02For one, we have a very open and straightforward relationship.
23:05There's no need to have any doubts or secrets or anything like that.
23:10So for me, I can talk to Julie about anything
23:14and I think for most people that are in the lifestyle,
23:16I think it seems to be the same way.
23:18They have a very open and strong relationship.
23:20So the jealousies may be there but they don't really create any issues.
23:25I find that they're the sort of things that create problems for couples
23:30is when you've got those sort of restrictions
23:32and one doesn't match the other and you're not living a happy lifestyle,
23:35everything's going to get in the way and create problems.
23:38I think this way you can live an open and honest relationship
23:41that you're both very close and comfortable with each other.
23:46I suppose you're not ever then worried
23:48that someone's going to cheat eventually.
23:50Because it's not even a question.
23:52It's not there.
23:52No, it's actually more encouraged to have those desires and fantasies
23:57and experiment with them more so than try and keep it from your partner.
24:02It's really about encouraging to be involved.
24:04I think our whole culture and our lifestyles are starting to open up
24:07and become more aware and focused on what we want and so forth
24:12and that really, I suppose, attracts people to this sort of lifestyle.
24:16And we don't go door knocking.
24:19No, we don't.
24:20They'll come and knock on us.
24:21Maybe we should.
24:22Well, yeah.
24:24Thank you so much for your time, guys.
24:26It's been great.
24:26Pleasure.
24:28Thank you so much.
24:29My experience has taught me that most people find the idea of swapping their partner for sex unappealing.
24:34I'm here to speak with Dr Janet Hall, or Dr Jan as she likes to be called,
24:37who's a clinical psychologist, relationship expert, and has written dozens of books on sex.
24:42I'm hoping she can help me understand the idea behind swingers' parties
24:45and the health behind Melbourne's diverse sexual culture.
24:49What do you believe is the modern sexual attitude in Melbourne?
24:52Well, I think that sex nowadays is anything goes.
24:56And whereas, I mean, other eras might have said the same, you know, 1920s, nowadays women are not repressed in the ways that they were.
25:06And, in fact, they now say that oral sex is the new goodnight kiss.
25:12So I'm fascinated with how young people in particular hook up and have sex with strangers.
25:18Do you think that men become addicted to sex because it's used as a stress relief?
25:23I think a lot of men use sex as a de-stress and they'll go to something like a prostitute or online or a swingers' situation
25:33because they've got no obligation to express themselves emotionally,
25:38but they get that release because of the sexual gratification.
25:42And there's release, relief, and then there's sort of some space emotionally for them.
25:48And then they're on the roller coaster because next time they feel the pressure, the stress,
25:52it's like, oh, what made me feel good last time was sexual expression, let's go get it again.
25:57The next minute they're addicted.
25:59Now, this is different for women, though, isn't it?
26:00Because women, can we say, feel pleasure in perhaps a slightly different way?
26:05I think that there really isn't the same opportunities for women.
26:09Sure, there's online sex, but most women would be quite satisfied with their vibrator.
26:15And, you know, even older women now have discovered how easy it is to use a vibrator to have an orgasm.
26:21So, you know, it's like for them in the moment they have their own way of getting off
26:28and they're happy enough with that.
26:31They don't need the complications.
26:33Is Melbourne considered sexually healthy in relation to other countries?
26:38Well, you know, we have the stereotypes around countries, you know,
26:41like in Holland and Amsterdam and the Red Light District just being really, really open.
26:46And Melbourne doesn't really have the same, the King's Cross, that they might have in Sydney.
26:52But I think that particularly for young people, that hook-up ability, it's happening worldwide.
26:59Obviously with that, though, also comes more problems, more STIs, more STDs.
27:03Well, you know, safe sex really is, you know, the be-all, end-all, or should-be.
27:08But there are so many people who also do the barebacking that could put them in, you know, severe health risks.
27:18I think that just it's often fuelled by alcohol or drugs.
27:21I was just about to say that.
27:22Do you think that in Melbourne that, you know, sexual freedom or experimentation is fuelled by intoxication?
27:30Well, I think in Melbourne and every other place in the world that, you know,
27:33once there's some kind of substance being enjoyed, then inhibitions go down and sexual expression becomes easy.
27:44That seems to be the culture here is that people will go out on the weekend after they've worked all week,
27:48they'll drink until they're tipsy or drunk, and then they'll have the booty calls or they'll try and pick up.
27:53And the one-night stands are quite popular.
27:56Absolutely.
27:56I mean, I had a young girl, she was only 23.
27:59And gorgeous, like a little fairy.
28:01She was just really, really pretty, great figure.
28:03And she said, I've never had an orgasm.
28:05And I said, oh, well, tell me about, you know, your partners.
28:08And she said, I've lost count.
28:10I said, well, what happens?
28:11And she said, I'll go out on Friday night, get drunk, and then end up having sex with somebody.
28:16And I said, why?
28:17And she said, well, you just do it.
28:19American comedian Billy Crystal once said, women need a reason to have sex, men just need a place.
28:30Well, if you live in Melbourne, you're in luck.
28:32The city has had legal prostitution since 1986, and illegal massage parlours existed for over a century before that.
28:39There are currently about 100 registered brothels in town.
28:42And today I'm at the biggest one of them all, the world-renowned Daily Planet.
28:45It's so successful, it's even listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
28:51The Daily Planet is Melbourne's oldest and certainly the largest registered licensed brothel in the Southern Hemisphere.
29:02We are registered here for 18 rooms to be able to use for prostitution.
29:07Okay, wow.
29:09Can you give us a tour?
29:10We certainly can.
29:10Off we go.
29:11Each room has a name.
29:15Right.
29:16We're just now going in to see the Mediterranean.
29:18The Mediterranean.
29:25Oh, wow.
29:26Okay.
29:26This is the largest room that we have in the brothel with the three beds, and it has the largest spa.
29:36We call this a party room.
29:37Okay.
29:38It is available to just a couple if they want, but if there are gentlemen wanting to have, you know, two ladies or two gentlemen with two ladies, we usually allocate them to this room.
29:53And what about the hygiene issues?
29:56Well, we run under very strict regulations here.
30:00All of the towels, beds, sheets, et cetera, of course, are constantly changed and washed.
30:08And as far as infections go and stuff like that, are the women tested regularly?
30:12By door, they're required to be tested.
30:15They have swabs done and have to give us a medical certificate every month.
30:19Right.
30:19And they also have to have blood for HIV, et cetera.
30:24And at the moment, that's on a three-monthly basis.
30:26The Daily Planet also has a strict, no sexual contact without a condom rule, to ensure the health of both its workers and its customers.
30:35The girls each have favourite rooms that you know that they like to use.
30:41Some of them like to use the smaller ones.
30:43Some of them are happier in the slightly larger ones.
30:47Okay.
30:47Nice shower, though.
30:48Nice beds and obviously a beautiful spa.
30:50And beautiful spa.
30:52Gail seemed a most unlikely brothel madam, and she had an endearing sense of humour about the job.
30:57But I really wanted to find out more about the girls that worked at the Daily Planet.
31:18Gail, how many women are working here at any one time?
31:20During the daytime, we perhaps average six to eight, between 10 o'clock in the morning to 8 o'clock at night.
31:28Of an evening, we certainly have more come on duty.
31:32On Friday and Saturday nights, we have 30-plus ladies on duty at any one time.
31:37And how long would any girl be working?
31:39They can choose to do as many shifts as they like.
31:41But we watch that if someone is doing a lot of shifts and doing a lot of bookings, whereas that's great for us that they're here,
31:52it sometimes is not necessarily the best thing for the girl.
31:55And how old?
31:56What age range are you looking at?
31:59Well, they range from 18 because it's certainly illegal to be here under that age.
32:05And I think the lady, the oldest lady that we have that comes in is in her early 50s.
32:13Okay, wow.
32:14I personally think that it's a very difficult job that they do.
32:20And I've spoken to some of them about it.
32:23How do they actually manage to be normal?
32:28How do they function outside?
32:29Function outside when you do the job that they do.
32:32And they have different ways of approaching it.
32:35All the ladies that I certainly know that work here, they're very upbeat.
32:43They're happy with what they're doing because they've chosen to do it.
32:47Okay.
32:47It's their choice how they conduct their lives.
32:52Right.
32:52So you wouldn't have a girl that works here who comes in who hates it, that doesn't want to be here?
32:57I don't believe so, no.
32:59Okay.
32:59Some of them, they say they really like sex.
33:02It doesn't serve the purpose.
33:04She really hates it.
33:05It would reflect in the service that you gave to the client.
33:09You can hardly be really hating what you're doing and give good service.
33:14What is the most times a girl's booked clients in one night that you know of?
33:19Probably the most I've seen is 12.
33:24Wow.
33:2412 hours.
33:25So 12 clients in 12 hours?
33:27Yes.
33:28Gail, what would you say is the future of the Daily Planet?
33:31Do you think this is a place that will be longstanding?
33:34Do you think it will be here in 10 years?
33:35I believe it would be here in 10 years, in 20 years, maybe even in 30 years.
33:41This industry, and there's lots and lots of brothels in Melbourne, they exist because there's a need for it.
33:50It's not like we make clients come in.
33:53They come in because they have a need.
33:56Right.
33:57They've had the same need for a long, long time.
34:01And I can't see in the future why that will alter.
34:04So as they say, the longest running profession?
34:06That is quite correct.
34:09Okay.
34:09But not all sex work is as glamorous as the Daily Planet.
34:19Here on Notorious Grey Street in the beachside suburb of St Kilda, desperate girls ply their trade nightly, risking health and safety.
34:26It stands in stark comparison to the sleek cocktail bars and expensive restaurants that are within a stone's throw of this corner.
34:34A rather dark underbelly to the city's polished exterior.
34:39Of course, it's not just heterosexuals that are interested in paying for sexual pleasure.
34:54There's a booming industry here for same-sex male escorts.
34:57I'm here to meet with Alex, who's a male jiggler, about his encounters and experiences.
35:02He's agreed to do the interview as long as we meet in a public place.
35:05So I'm not entirely sure he's going to show up, but fingers crossed.
35:09Alex, thanks for coming.
35:15So you're originally from Thailand?
35:16Yes, I'm from Thailand.
35:18Can you tell us how you got the initial idea to become an escort?
35:23Because of my visa, it's very hard to get a job and get a good salary or well paid.
35:29If I work in a restaurant, I work really hard.
35:33We get just like $10 per hour.
35:39I feel like I did that before and then it makes me sick.
35:43Or maybe I find something else.
35:44And then how about just sex?
35:45Because I like to have sex too.
35:49So as far as clientele is concerned, what is expected of you or from you within your services?
35:55Definitely, he expects sex from me, but we can't have sex like whole days.
36:01Some clients, they're going to do like a day or a whole night client.
36:06They just like to have a good company.
36:10We're just talking and like have dinner.
36:12We just spend time with and just make them happy.
36:15And I just say just once, time, that's it.
36:18Do you charge a lot of money by the hour?
36:21How much do you charge?
36:22I charge a lot because I don't want to work that much.
36:26And I just up my rate to $300 for an hour.
36:31And do you just work in the one city or do you have clients that fly you around Australia?
36:36I got one from Gold Coast.
36:39They come to holiday here and then they ask me to go back with them in Gold Coast for three days.
36:48And they pay me per day, like $2,000 something per day.
36:52$2,000 a day?
36:54Yeah.
36:54And do you practice safe sex?
36:57Yes, always.
36:59Except with my boyfriends or with someone I know very well.
37:04And your boyfriend know what you do as an escort?
37:07Yes.
37:08And he's comfortable with that?
37:09He's my client.
37:11Really?
37:11Yeah.
37:12Wow.
37:12Okay.
37:13Interesting.
37:14Interesting.
37:14It sounds like a weird question, but do you enjoy what you do?
37:18If you've got the right client, like, not really old, I'm sorry, like, not really ugly
37:26and, like, still have good sex or hot sex, we still enjoy good sex.
37:31But sometimes we have to take care, like, sorry, like, very old and fat and something
37:39like that.
37:39It's quite, we have to fall ourselves to do that.
37:43Okay.
37:45Meeting Alex has got me interested in the type of gay dating scene that exists here.
37:49So I'm going to go and check out Wet on Wellington, which has been described as Melbourne's finest
37:53gay pool and sauna.
37:55If you're a heterosexual, you probably don't even know the place exists and would never have
37:58seen the inside.
37:59But we're going to go and have a look before the door's open for trade.
38:03G'day, Shane.
38:03G'day, Nathan.
38:04Welcome to Wet on Wellington.
38:06So can you tell us a bit about the establishment?
38:08Yeah, Wet on Wellington is a venue that's designed for gay and bisexual men.
38:12It's a safe house, if you like, where they can come and enjoy the company of like-minded
38:17men in an area that affords them the freedom to be able to feel good about themselves and
38:26enjoy the facilities.
38:28Our venue is probably rated as probably number one in Australia and probably within the top
38:33five or six of the world.
38:34We have a 25-metre swimming pool.
38:36We have a sauna, spa and steam rooms.
38:39We have a theatre room that plays the latest DVDs.
38:43Computer area.
38:44People can come here and use the internet free of charge.
38:46So even for a $20 entry, you can basically sit down all day on the internet if you want.
38:52So if you come here and you don't find someone that isn't your liking, you can jump on the
38:57net and invite them down.
38:58So it's very relaxed and it's like you cater for all type of situations.
39:02Absolutely.
39:02Being gay and say closeted where you're not out to society, you're quite limited to where
39:08you can go, be at a bar or something like that, to meet like-minded people, even just to talk.
39:14You can come in here and you know that whoever you talk to, you're not going to get a smack
39:18in the ear.
39:19I asked Shane to show me a round upstairs, which has quite a reputation.
39:23It is totally different to the downstairs.
39:26Upstairs we have cubicles and play areas for people to cruise around and do what they do best.
39:33How do you say that?
39:35Every room has condoms and lube.
39:39How many rooms are up here, Shane?
39:4131.
39:4131.
39:42Yep.
39:43It's not for sleeping in, but...
39:45Have a look at this.
39:47Work out for yourself.
39:49Yep.
39:50So a bit of role-playing goes on in here.
39:52Yeah, we call this a heavy-duty room.
39:54All right.
39:55It does look heavy-duty.
39:57It does, yeah.
39:58Mm.
39:59Yeah.
39:59This area here is the succatorium.
40:02Right.
40:02And what is the succatorium?
40:04There's only one way to tell you.
40:05Basically, if you go into the top area, shove your dick through a hole and it's at my head height.
40:11So if you just want to have a look in, say, the first one there.
40:13See the hole here.
40:19Wow.
40:20It's a large group play area.
40:22Mm-hmm.
40:22What type of scenario, what's a regular scenario that would happen in this room?
40:27Um, group playing.
40:29Mm-hmm.
40:30Basically, just people wanting to get together in a group.
40:33Mm-hmm.
40:33And that's quite popular.
40:35Okay.
40:35Much to people's disbelief, people do like playing in groups.
40:39Yep.
40:39The difference with the two porn lounges is this one we play a younger style of porn.
40:47And in the back one, we play more of a heavy duty, so more of a manly type, born of bear, younger type stuff here.
40:56We don't play anything that shows bear backing, in other words, sex without condoms.
41:02And we don't play any films that show any form of violence.
41:08Right.
41:08It's all...
41:09So no sexual violence.
41:10No sexual violence.
41:11We have a code of conduct here.
41:13Mm-hmm.
41:13The people must abide by.
41:15And they're written in such a way that people are meant to understand.
41:18No means no.
41:19Great.
41:20Very, very simple.
41:21We push the safe sex rule all the time.
41:24Although you can't be there watching everyone, you know, it's an important part of our day's lives, whether you're straight or gay.
41:29What sort of clients do you have come here?
41:32Monday to Friday, 85% are people that don't identify as gay.
41:37Mm-hmm.
41:38On weekends, it's probably 80% that do identify as gay.
41:44People that party at other venues and then come here for relaxation afterwards, for winding down, or people that just come here to have sex.
41:53So do people class the venue as a brothel?
41:55No, they don't.
41:56And it's totally far removed from a brothel.
42:00The difference with ourselves in a brothel is with a brothel, you pay for sex.
42:05Here, you're paying an entrance fee to use the facilities.
42:08If, by chance, you meet someone and you choose to have sex with them, then that's totally void of us organising that or doing anything like that.
42:18We really are running a totally straight up and down venue for the benefit of gay and bisexual people just to enjoy themselves.
42:27Word on Wellington was fascinating, but I was about to embark on an even more interesting adventure.
42:31The famous French sexual sadist, the Marquis de Sade, wrote,
42:36It is always by way of pain that one arrives at pleasure.
42:39And out here at this little quiet pocket of Melbourne, what looks like a fairly nondescript warehouse, but is far more than that,
42:44to someone walking past that have no idea that it is in fact a dungeon.
42:48So I'm going to put my inhibitions on hold and take a peek inside.
42:51Hi, it's nice to meet you.
42:52Thanks for having us.
42:53Welcome to Fetish House.
42:54Thank you so much.
42:55And I'll give you a bit of a tour.
42:56Please do, that'd be great.
42:58Dominatrix's mistress, Emmeline, has offered to show me around Fetish House.
43:01A six-room bondage dungeon that offers services for the more sexually adventurous.
43:07Next up, we have our cross-dressing room.
43:10Okay.
43:10We just kitted out with pretty much every costume you could ever need.
43:14We've got regular women's cleaving as well as the more fetish sort of things,
43:17if you'd like to dress up as a schoolgirl or a police officer or anything you like.
43:21Someone will come in and they'll have a fantasy about being taught how to walk like a woman,
43:27how to speak, how to dress, how to walk in heels.
43:29It's just harder than most of them think.
43:32And yeah, they just get dressed up.
43:34And yeah, it's just the perfect atmosphere to get all nice and girly.
43:37Activities such as role play, torture and domination are actively promoted and recommended.
43:42And mistress Emmeline loves every minute of it.
43:45Dungeon three?
43:46Yes.
43:47This has got the bondage bed so you can actually lock people up in there,
43:51make sure they don't go anywhere.
43:52The suspension rack in here is very popular.
43:55I like to call it the Slave of Fortune because you can spin people around on it.
43:59Okay, the Slave of Fortune.
44:00Yeah, the Slave of Fortune.
44:02Wow.
44:03You just get strapped in and enjoy the ride.
44:05So it's very medieval.
44:06It is, yeah.
44:07A lot of the torture and discipline is all based around the medieval.
44:11Don't think I want to get locked up in that.
44:13Well, that's half the fun.
44:14That's what people come here for.
44:17You can spend some time in there if you've been a bad puppy.
44:20This is probably my favourite room.
44:23This is the medical room.
44:25It's all authentic.
44:27Everything from the naughty nurse through to suturing.
44:29And for example, you can suture the skin so a man no longer appears to have a penis.
44:36So that can be part of the cross-dressing transformation as well.
44:41And you can also suture different things.
44:43Like you can make the corsets on the back.
44:44That's generally play-piercing, but that's all part of it as well.
44:47Yeah, lots of blood play.
44:49Right.
44:49Which is definitely an acquired taste.
44:52This is dungeon two.
44:54Yeah.
44:55Which has got the cross, which is always good.
44:59Lots of nice custom-made furniture.
45:01And this is probably the most equipped room in terms of the more pain-inflicting devices.
45:07This one's got the horse.
45:09It's got the table that you can twist them into really awkward positions.
45:12Oh, okay.
45:12Yeah, the chair.
45:14So it's, yeah, it's a fantastic room for lots of the more fetish side of things.
45:19So a torture chamber.
45:20All of these tools were used for what's known as BDSM.
45:24BDSM stands for bondage, discipline, sadomasochism.
45:28Right.
45:28It usually means bondage, different restraints, the dominant submissive role.
45:36Do you have a high pain threshold yourself?
45:39I do, yeah.
45:40I've got a high pain threshold and a high bullshit tolerance.
45:44So I do have to put up with a lot of it sometimes.
45:48What do the customers like to come here?
45:49What sort of people do you get to come in?
45:52Well, obviously it's not just a bit of chump change.
45:54Like you've got to, it's 240 for an hour.
45:56Yep.
45:56And so mostly we do see middle class, white collar employees.
46:02I've got a lot of police officers and firemen.
46:06Wow.
46:06They're doing that.
46:07They like to be in the submissive role.
46:09I'm assuming because they like being in, they're in charge throughout the rest of their lives.
46:12So they like letting go of it a little bit in their sexual life.
46:16So it's very much psychological as much as it is physical?
46:19Yes.
46:19Often it's more psychological than anything.
46:21Right.
46:22A lot of the play, you've got to be hearty for it and you've got to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.
46:27Can you go too far?
46:28Can a client go too far?
46:30You have your safe limits and your safe words and your hard limits.
46:34A hard limit is something that you won't do no matter what.
46:36And so for me, my hard limits are anything to do with children, anything to do with animals, anything to do with scat.
46:45Anything else is pretty much open game.
46:47Now that I knew Mistress Emmeline's hard limits, I thought I'd take the opportunity to engage in a little bondage myself.
46:54So what's this contraption?
46:56I'm guessing I sort of...
46:57It's a boss.
46:58Yeah, I'll show you what it does.
47:01I'll give you the suede one.
47:02Okay.
47:03Like that.
47:04All right.
47:04Yeah.
47:05You just have to bend over a little bit further so you're a bit more vulnerable.
47:08Yeah.
47:09Okay.
47:11See, that's the way it works.
47:12And look, as far as the levels of hardcore are concerned, obviously there's so much that goes on here and there must be such a wide variety of customer requests and what you guys do.
47:23But what would you deem hardcore?
47:25Severe caning would have to be one of my...
47:29The ones that make me cringe.
47:31Yeah.
47:31We do get clients that come in and they want you to make them bleed.
47:34Okay.
47:35With a cane and to hit them that hard with a cane is very...
47:38Mm-hmm.
47:39It's not only tiring for you because your arms get sore but just the fact of watching them is tiring because you know how much it hurts but they just love it.
47:46Wow.
47:47This one here looks quite severe.
47:49Yeah, that one actually hurts a lot.
47:50Usually put that around the base of someone's dick in their balls.
47:56Mm-hmm.
47:57Put their dick through there and if you get hard it'll hurt a lot.
48:02There was one thing that I'd always wanted to try and luckily Mistress Emmeline had one on hand.
48:08This is a gimp mask.
48:10It's used by gimps.
48:11It's a really good way of depersonalising a slave or a submissive.
48:16So I'll give you a shot.
48:17We'll see the difference.
48:19It was not the most comfortable thing I'd ever worn and very claustrophobic.
48:28You know, if they talk too much you can just get rid of them like that.
48:31You can shut them up.
48:33Mm-hmm.
48:34Mm-hmm.
48:35Mm-hmm.
48:36Mm-hmm.
48:37Oh, put the dildo in there.
48:38Now you panic.
48:43From everything I've seen Melbourne has an extensive and varied sex industry.
48:54Is that a good thing?
48:56What are the benefits, if any, of legalised prostitution?
48:58I'm here to talk with Project RESPECT, a sex worker support organisation, to find out their view.
49:04Project RESPECT is outreach to women in the sex industry.
49:08So we visit women in brothels.
49:10Right.
49:11We also build up understanding and awareness about trafficking with other women in the sex industry.
49:16So, you know, women will tell us about trafficking that they know of and even brothel owners might tell us about, you know, trafficking in other brothels.
49:24Approximately how many brothels do you know of that are operating in Melbourne?
49:27There's 90 to 95 licensed brothels and I've heard 130 unlicensed brothels.
49:36As far as women that are trafficked to Melbourne for sex work?
49:39We estimate that there's probably 300 women trafficked to Melbourne every year.
49:43Right.
49:44We'd say about 1,000 women trafficked to Australia every year.
49:47And where are they coming from?
49:49They tend to come from Asia.
49:51At the moment, it seems like most women are coming from South Korea.
49:55But in the past, Thailand has been a place where most women have come from, with other women from Malaysia, China, the Philippines, Taiwan.
50:04Do we know who brings them?
50:06It seems to be that there's a link with ethnic groups and kind of, I guess, ethnic based mafia.
50:13But I think, you know, Australians are also, certainly Australian citizens are involved in exploiting women here.
50:20Are these trafficked women working in these illegal brothels then?
50:23No, trafficked women are kept in legal brothels.
50:27In legal?
50:28Yes.
50:29Wow, okay.
50:30Every case that has been investigated and prosecuted in Australia of trafficking has involved trafficking into legal brothels
50:38and all the women who we know of were kept in legal brothels.
50:41I really wanted to ask Nina about Club 417, the most famous case of prosecuted sex trafficking in Melbourne.
50:48So, Club 417 is a brothel on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy in the heart of our cafe strip.
50:57It's a pretty nondescript little place.
50:59You walk past it, you probably think that it's just, you know, an empty shop.
51:03But it's a brothel.
51:04And in 2003, the police did a raid and they found five trafficked women in there.
51:11They charged the brothel owner, Wei Tang, and her manager, Paul Pick, with possessing and using slaves.
51:18They were told that they owed her debts of between $45,000 and $90,000, which they had to pay off by doing prostitution in her brothel.
51:28They paid it off within a few months.
51:31And it means that they were doing about 10 clients a night, every single night, for three months,
51:41which in itself is an incredible, you know, toll on your body.
51:47It was about 800 or 900 men that each of the women did before they paid off the debt.
51:53And again, it's, it's one of those things that if you really think about it, it's, I don't think that anyone can fail to understand how corrosive and degrading the experience of being trafficked is.
52:08That led to the question, did Nina think there was a difference between legal prostitution and illegal sex trafficking?
52:15Having legal brothels in Victoria, I think can make it easier to hide trafficked women.
52:21Because there is an assumption that brothels are safe if they are regulated, that they're, you know, that they're following laws and regulations.
52:29But really what, what shapes whether or not we have trafficked women is whether or not we accept prostitution at all.
52:38Project Respect is adamant about the harms and costs of prostitution, legal or otherwise.
52:44So in order to get another opinion, I've been invited to a rally for abortion rights by the president of the Australian Sex Party, Fiona Patton.
52:51On a very wet, cold, rainy Melbourne day, we're out showing our support for the abortion clinic behind us.
53:00Yep.
53:01Every third Saturday, a group of, I can't remember what they're called, something with the Virgin Mary, come and pray and harass some of the clients who come to this clinic during the day.
53:12Right.
53:13And we're here to show our support for the clinic.
53:15It's so important that women have that right to choose.
53:18And I, you know, we've seen that when women don't have control of their reproductive rights, they take it into their own hands.
53:24And we see backyard abortions setting up and we see very, you know, unsafe practices.
53:29Frankly, you know, it would be great if we had really good sex education.
53:33And that would probably mean that we would have less abortions in this country.
53:37But they, it needs to remain legal and safe.
53:39So more money and education?
53:41More sex education would definitely mean less unwanted pregnancies.
53:45I also wanted to ask Fiona's opinion about legalised prostitution in Melbourne.
53:49I am all in favour for sex workers to be able to work legally and safely.
53:55Um, be it, I would probably support a decriminalised system rather than legalisation, which is about treating the sex industry as any other business.
54:04So whether you're a hairdresser or a sex worker, you have the same rights and responsibilities.
54:09What's your take on the number of legalised brothels that are actually here in Melbourne?
54:14Unfortunately, it's such, it's, it's actually probably over-regulated here.
54:18And it was sort of, when they introduced the laws, it was like, well, you know, we want to protect the workers, but we don't want to be seen to condone the industry.
54:26So they set up very draconian laws, which means that probably two thirds of the industry in Melbourne operates illegally.
54:34So for every one legal brothel, you have two or three illegal brothels operating.
54:39Uh, I certainly think a system where brothels can operate legally and we have good health and safety codes and women can work without fear of, you know, exploitation is, is a very good path.
54:54And Melbourne has gone some way to it, but, you know, it could be better.
54:58Do you believe that legalised prostitution discourages trafficking?
55:02I certainly do, when it's well managed and well run.
55:05So, you know, as I was saying before, I actually think with a legalised system, we should actually enable workers from other countries to work here safely and legally.
55:15And that, I think, could be done through a visa system.
55:18So when you do have a legal system where they're not having to work underground and hidden away, you can control and police the industry far more easily.
55:27That led me to my final question, which was whether Melbourne was becoming more liberal or conservative in its approach to sex.
55:33Well, thankfully, I think Australians are becoming far more liberal in their approach.
55:38And you can only see that, like, in the statistics about who supports gay marriage or, you know, is opposed to internet censorship.
55:46But unfortunately, our politicians are going the opposite direction.
55:51And I think they, they tend to listen to small minority groups like the people across the street and kowtow to them rather than listening to the majority.
56:01Thank you so much for your time. It's been a pleasure.
56:03Thank you, likewise.
56:04Thank you, Fiona.
56:05For my last few hours in Melbourne, I've finally had a chance to sample some of its much-celebrated coffee.
56:17This city is modern and cosmopolitan. It has impressive skyscrapers and expensive restaurants.
56:22I've seen all aspects of its sexual culture, and it's been a real eye-opener.
56:26There's a history of liberal sexual attitude here, but there's clearly a debate between those who want more freedom and those who want to restrict it.
56:33And although the sex industry, legal and illegal, is all around them, Melbournians seem to go about their daily lives without giving it a second glance.
56:40For those involved, however, it can be lucrative, exhilarating and dangerous to both body and mind.
56:45It's been a fascinating journey, and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to experience such a unique city with its own distinctive culture.
56:51For now, though, it's time to leave.
56:54Really good at life.
56:55É
56:57See you later.
57:02Bye bye.
57:03Bye bye.
57:04Bye bye.