LIFE STYLE - TALKING POINT | Prostitution problems persist - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 11 Sep 1975 (original) (raw)

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Thu 11 Sep 1975 - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995)
Page 16 - LIFE STYLE

From ATHOL THOMAS, in Perth

there would be no inquiry

into prostitution, that there

prostitution and, finally,

dependent legal authority

It has been an astonishing

sequence of events, to say

Court, is obviously nettled.

He wants to get on with the

State and not grapple with a

But in the past few weeks

there have been persistent

accusations of corruption in

the police force, and a claim

that a Western Australian

(whether State or Federal

promised to pull strings to

madam Mrs Shirley Finn of

Sir Charles has tended to

nuendo". He may be right.

constant pressure from the

Labor Opposition to set up

a Royal commission, and in

indicated that they would

support a move for any in-

quiry. Only three Govern-

ment members need to cross

the floor of the House to

for Subiaco, Dr G. T. Da-

dour, has alleged that cer-

tain members of the police

geant — are getting a rake-

wanting to open a brothel

only have to approach the

sergeant to be given a green

bencher said in the House

last week that a vice-presi-

dent of a leading suburban

branch of the Liberal Party

had formed a company with

Liberties Association, Mr

Archie Marshall, claims he

has a tape of an interview

that has a man saying Mrs

Finn told him she was going

to fly to Canberra with "a

would settle a $100,000 tax-

ing from the visitors' book

headquarters. It has been

suggested that one of the

names on the page was that

of Mrs Finn, and that she

been allegations that some

prostitutes are prosecuted

more frequently than others,

and that some have immun-

It all reads like a rough

nounced that there would be

no inquiry into prostitution,

Sir Charles said, "We are

not opposed to the idea of a

achieve nothing practical.

generate into something like

a Playboy version of Blue

Sir Charles also attacked

politicians who used parlia-

mentary privilege to smear

the police without substan-

described such actions as

seemed hell-bent on trying

to smear and embarrass the

they knew of associations

between police, politicians

and prostitutes should have

and give the names either

publicly or in confidence to

the police or the Govern-

He said this would enable

full investigation of specific

It is true that no-one has

silion, Mr Tonkin, wants a

full inquiry into prostitu-

tion, but even he has been

able to do little more than

Opposition failed recently in

a move in Parliament for a

select committee of inquiry

into government legislation

that seeks to strengthen the

powers of the police to deal

for increased penalties and

prostitution even if she is

moral man, has also raised

ber's Bill that would provide

for the prosecution of pros-

titutes' clients as well as

began in August last year,

when Police Superintendent

Rotary luncheon that prosti-

million a year business, and

that there were not enough

dining room of Parliament

House and threatened to re-

veal the names of members

allegedly her clients if police

tion was simply to assert

would continue to be vigil-

It would seek regular re-

prostitution in Perth to see

whether a judicial inquiry

stream of suspicious, veiled

accusations and innuendoes

Was it an underworld kill-

ing (the removal of opposi-

tion in the peddling of sex),

effect of the prostitution

issue is that the integrity of

the police force has been

obviously influenced State

sioner for Crimes, Mr Lloyd

Taylor, said this week that

He added, "It is particu-

larly harmful when no-one is

authority who will decide

sion is necessary will prob-

ably be a retired judge of

the Supreme Court. He will

be asked to study all the

information on prostitution

in the Government's posses-

Other material that might

be provided by the Opposi-

tion, the Government par-

ties, the media, the public

and local organisations will

be passed on intact to the

who are prepared to submit

specific allegations on pros-

titution are being asked to

submit the information to

"Nothing else will satisfy

the people but the appoint-

"Prostitution is not a mat-

"The proliferation of bro-

thels has reached the stage

where they are creating a

serious problem for people

position would continue to

press for a Royal commis-

One of the State's keenest

legal brains, Associate Pro-

fessor Richard Harding of

the University of Western

Australia, has also criticised

"pseudo-royal" inquiry. He

improper", and will not give

people the legal security and

general protection that a

He asks also, "After this

private rushed inquiry, if

the Government decides not

to hold a Royal commission,

public have in such an out-

that the issue at stake is

processes of law enforce-

ment, and that public fears

It is almost inevitable that

forced to such an inquiry—

dation of its special in-

vestigator, then by pressure

on the floor of the House.

Mason no longer seems im-