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Sex trade motels busted - Police bring in blue lights to chase out shady red-light operators in the north
POLICE have busted three motels in Mackay operating as /x-tad-smaller>illegal/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>brothels/x-tad-smaller> after cashed-up mine /x-tad-smaller>workers/x-tad-smaller> have added to a boom in the city's red-light sex trade.
Undercover police caught groups of /x-tad-smaller>sex/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>workers/x-tad-smaller> working out of the three and four-star motels in a series of raids which lead to three operators being served with warning notices.
Mine workers earning an average $100,000 a year regularly commute hundreds of kilometres between the coalfields of the Bowen Basin and Mackay for entertainment -- some paying up to $300 an hour for sex.
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Police, the sex industry and motel owners yesterday said the mining boom had a green light effect on the red-light sex trade.
One of the inner-city motel owners, served a warning notice last Friday under the new /x-tad-smaller>prostitution/x-tad-smaller> legislation, yesterday said he had been unfairly singled out.
``Apparently Mackay is a hot spot,'' said the owner/manager, who asked not to be named.
``You'll probably find there are one or two working girls in every motel in town. And, of course, it is because of the mines.''
Most visited the city's /x-tad-smaller>legal/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>brothel/x-tad-smaller>, Club 7, but some chose to answer escorts ads in the paper.
``That is how the police caught these two girls operating out of my motel,'' he said.
``They rang them using the mobile phone numbers out of the ads in the newspaper.
``The rules are you are allowed to have one girl working but as soon as there are two you are breaking the rules.
``The police served me a notice saying they can actually confiscate my premises. I am frightened.
``The scary part now is when a woman walks in and I shudder whether to ask if she is a /x-tad-smaller>prostitute/x-tad-smaller> and get a slap in the face or do I put a sign in the office window saying `/x-tad-smaller>Working/x-tad-smaller> Girls Definitely Not Allowed here'?"
Detective-Sergeant Murray Pearce, of the State /x-tad-smaller>Prostitution/x-tad-smaller> Enforcement Taskforce, said most /x-tad-smaller>illegal/x-tad-smaller> operators tended to /x-tad-smaller>work/x-tad-smaller> in groups out of smaller motels.
``When the management become aware /x-tad-smaller>prostitution/x-tad-smaller> is happening in their /x-tad-smaller>hotel/x-tad-smaller> or motel it is a legal requirement for them to take all reasonable steps to desist the /x-tad-smaller>prostitution/x-tad-smaller> from occurring.''
/x-tad-smaller>Queensland/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>Adult/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>Business/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>Association/x-tad-smaller> spokesman /x-tad-smaller>Nick/x-tad-smaller> /x-tad-smaller>Inskip/x-tad-smaller> said increased demand from the booming mines was luring the illegal sex trade out bush.
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