All language subtitles for Sex.Down.Under.2019.1080p.WEBRip.x264-RARBG

[Nathan] I'm Nathan Hill,
actor, writer, traveler.

And I'm on a world tour
to uncover the sexual
culture and traditions

of people in exotic locations
all over the globe.

Sex is part of our lives,
bodies and minds,

our very existence
depends on it.

It is treated and practiced
differently in every society.

I'll encounter
the extraordinary,

the festive, the tragic,
the unseen and the taboo.

It's going to be
a fascinating ride.

So join me as I lay bare
the universal instinct
that we all share

in sex around the world.

[upbeat music]

I've just arrived in Melbourne,

a burgeoning metropolis of
over four million people

and the second largest
city in Australia.

It's known for
its multicultural society,

art precincts,
sporting communities,

and exceptional coffee culture,
which I hope to sample.

I'm told the people
here are laid-back

in their attitude
towards life, work,

and their attitude to sex.
In fact, the locals here refer
to this island continent

as a lucky country because
of the great weather,

beautiful beaches,
accessible health care,

and their opportunities
for education.

I'm here to explore how
the laid-back attitude

extends towards sexual behavior,

and how the abundance
of erotic stores,

strip clubs, and prostitution
has affected this society.

I'm going to talk
with sex workers,

swingers, a brothel
madam, a male escort,

bondage dominatrix,
and even local teenagers

to unearth all of
Melbourne's sexual culture.

And I'm going to start
here at the inner city
suburb of Richmond,

the Passion Fruit
Sensuality Shop.

It's part of a growing trend,
a new type of sex store

that doesn't hide in a dark
alley behind black windows.

In fact, it's right
smack bang in the middle of

one of the city's most popular
fashion strips.

And sure, it's about sex,

but it doesn't run
from it and embraces it.

[Nathan] The manager, Michelle
has agreed to show me around.

So, the women that come
in are probably women

that haven't been into
sex shops much before,

and would refuse to
go into a sex shop.

And women need to
feel comfortable,

they need to, you know,
have a nice sort of,

a nice shop to browse in
and have a look at,

and maybe not something
that's just about sex,

that's something that
really involves, you know,

everything to do with sex,

and that sort of, to me,
is more sensual, sort of.

-So, less intimidating...
-Yeah.

...as far as your sort of
classic sex shop goes.

That's part of
the philosophy as well,

where sex is more
than just the act,

it's the anticipation,
it's the, you know,

the mind, humor,
everything like that.

And sensuality, soft things,

and lingerie,
that kind of thing.

And what have you
got out the back?

And then we ask people
to come and have a look

in our back room, so we part
the little curtain here.

Part of the philosophy too,

was that women should be
able to look and feel

before they buy.
It's one of the most personal
products they'll ever buy.

Can you tell us a little bit
in more detail how these work?

So I notice you've got--
they call that the rabbit,
don't they?

Yeah, these are called
the rabbit vibrators.

For example, they have
a vibrating clitoral stimulator

and a rotating internal shaft.

So you can use
the shaft internally

and that generally
rotates with beads inside

for a little bit of
extra stimulation,

and then you get a little, um,
clitoral vibrator here.

So you're getting
internal penetration

and clitoral external
stimulation at the same time.

-[Nathan laughs]
-So, that's pretty
much everything.

And this is probably, really
where the whole industry

is going, towards more
luxury toys made

by really good designers.

These are all
rechargeable as well,

so there's no need for
batteries anymore,

you can just charge them up
like your phone.

It's beautifully made,
you know, it looks gorgeous,

that really makes a big
difference to women,

-the look of it.
-Okay.

And something like
this for example,

which is just
a clitoral stimulator.

It just looks so lovely,

looks like a little massage
stone or something,

just hold it in your palm

and you can use it to, um...

And men like these as well.

-Right.
-Yeah, but just to use

while you're having sex,
over the clitoris.

Yeah, it's fantastic,
quite beautiful,

-as well as effective.
-[both laughing]

[Nathan] These toys were fun,

but I really wanted to
find out from Michelle

what she thought the
benefits of the passion

for its store
were for Melbourne.

Well, there's
the obvious physical,

emotional, spiritual, benefits,

but I just think, um,
a healthy sex life

and growing up with a healthy
attitude towards sex

just probably gives
you a bit more respect

for yourself
and for your partner.

And that's going to lead
to better decisions

and a better person
that you'll be.

And that sort of
leads to a better,

more nourishing
society, I guess.

[Nathan] Indeed, sex stores
have now entered

the mainstream in Melbourne.

The leading example of this
mainstreaming of sex shops

is the blossoming 12 store
empire known as Sexyland.

In fact, Sexyland describes
itself as a department store

where one would
normally go in and buy

furniture or kitchen goods,

but I'm sure there's nothing
as boring as that in there.

-Nice to meet you.
-Good to see you.

-Thanks having us.
-Not a problem at all.

-Can you give us a tour?
-Certainly, come through.

Basically, what it's
based on, it's based on

very open,
and friendly environment,
and fun environment.

So, we're talking about,
um, first-timers,

and starting out using
products in the store.

You said that the oils
were a good starting point.

That's right, oils and
body chocolates as well.

So you can--
that's chocolate paste,

-you can actually lick off.
-Yeah, either sauce,

or this one,
which has a little brush,

and you actually paint it on
and then eat it off.

-Cool.
-[both laughing]

Okay, so new products,

we have the Tickler Treat,

can you go into a bit of detail?

Basically this is a range
of dongs and anal toys,

um, they're made out,
um, of silicon.

Basically what that means is
that the toy's non-porous

and it's very safe
for your body.

So just looking at the star
performer series here.

-Yeah.
-Um.

Women actually use these?

Well, we don't actually
ask these things,

what they do with them
once they buy them.

Right, okay, so these
have intrigued me.

You've got nearly
$600 for Bree Olsen's

Cyber Skin Doggy-style
Vibrating Pussy and Ass.

-That's right, that's right.
-Interesting,

so, we're talking--
what are these made out of,
are they latex?

Uh, no, they're actually
made out of cyber skin,

-exactly what you said.
-Right.

And it's a really, really,
uh, nice feeling material.

It feels as close to
human skin as possible.

-My goodness.
-And that one's actually
been molded off Bree Olson

who's an adult star.

As far as customer
demographics go,

is it more men than women?

Really with the age group,

anything from young adults
right up to elderly.

-Okay, really, wow!
-I had a couple who was

-over 70, so I would say...
-Okay.

...that's elderly, yeah,
and everything in between.

Given that the
business is booming, um,

in your opinion does,
does Melbourne have a

more liberal or conservative
idea to the industry?

Yeah, I think everyone
is really welcoming,

um, even when
I say where I work,

people are really happy to know,

and they're really intrigued,
and they want to know.

And most people are happy
to come into the store.

-This is much more
like a supermarket.
-Correct.

-It's white light...
-This is quite a bit different.

-...everyone is open about it.
-That's right.

Are customers like that? They
come and they're very open?

Absolutely.
They're very open about it
and they're comfortable

because it is exactly
what you explained,

that it is bright and it's,

um, well, it's not
dark and dingy,

and it's not blacked-out
windows. I mean, we have

latest lingerie
fashion in our windows.

No newspapers blacking
out the windows, no.

There's-- all these items
are basically creative,

and they're here to help
people in their relation--

Relationships are really
hard to maintain,
so any little bit helps.

So, what do you think
the benefits are of
having a Sexyland

where people can come in
and buy these products?

What are long-term benefits

of having an establishment
like this?

The more happy people,

probably the better
for the community.

I'll likely sell mostly things
that would make people happy,

whether they're on their own
or whether they're as a couple.

I think, probably the more happy
people the better. [chuckles]

So, if sex really is all around,
becoming more prevalent,

how do Melburnians
feel about it?

What is the social impact?

I'm here to meet
with local writer

and sex expert, Claire Halliday.

Hopefully she can shed
some light on the subject.

I think we're kind of secretly,
sexually conservative,

and we're sort of forced
to live in a society that, um,

wants us to believe that
we're sexually liberal.

So we do have this
plethora of, you know,

sex stores, and brothels,
and things like that,

but, you know,
try asking somebody

if they've been to
one, or, you know,

and get an honest answer.

They might be there,
but nobody wants to admit

that they, you know,
utilize the services.

So in that way, we're
sexually conservative, I guess,

obviously people are using them.

They wouldn't be on every corner

-if they weren't making profits.
-Sure.

But I think, you know, nobody's
really going to own up to,

you know, visiting a brothel.

Are you shocked at
the, uh, information

that's so available
to your own kids?

I'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.

But in terms of my own children,

I think there is a lot
of information out there

that, um, I'm disappointed in,
that, you know,

like I said, the
articles in "Girlfriend,"

teaching you how to
have safe anal sex.

I don't want my daughter
to read that when she's 13.

So, they're making
it more acceptable

or look like it
should be the norm.

Yeah, and obviously
that's been sold to them,

you know, on a societal,
on a broader societal level,

I guess, from,
you know, the stream

of sexualized material that
is just in your face,

especially in
the last ten years.

We're giving kids today
so much sexualized material,

yet sex education in
schools is lacking,

so we're throwing all this
sexualized material at them,

we're not giving
them the context

to properly understand it.

and 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, um,
aspects and, you know,

how to make good choices, and
respect, and things like that.

So, Claire, just
on a final note,

what do you hope your book,

"Do You Want Sex With
That?" um, will achieve?

So I'm hoping that
anybody reading the book,

it might just make
them think more,

it 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.

And if they do think that then,
you know, what do we do next?

I 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.

[Nathan] Claire painted
a picture of Melbourne

as very confused about
its sexual identity.

But in a city that considers
itself sophisticated,

cosmopolitan, and intellectual,
is it compatible?

But here on King Street
in the middle of the CBD,

there are mega
strip clubs that cater

to thousands of men every night,

with names like Showgirls
Bar 20, Club X, Crazyhorse,

even the international
franchise, Spearmint Rhino.

I'm told it's built on a long
entrenched party culture

of after works drinks
and pre-wedding bucks nights.

[Nathan] Stripper, or exotic
dancer if you prefer, Honey,

has agreed to talk with me.

[Nathan] Why did you
choose this as a job

compared to, you know,
other jobs?

Well, 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 this stripper job,
it's good money.

How did you feel when you did

your first dance live on stage?

Well, I felt a lot
of butterflies,

and I'm like, "Oh, my God,
what am I doing up here?

How am I going to do this?"
Like, you know, you've got
so many people watching you.

But I just said, "Okay,
I got to be confident,"

and one of the other strippers
that was teaching me said,

"Just be confident, do the job,
and you'll get through it."
So, yeah.

Do you make a lot of money
in this profession?

Like, at the end of the week,
do you go, "Hmm"?

Are you satisfied with the cash,
with cash pot?

Yeah, yeah, I am satisfied
with the cash that I'm getting,

um, but it does go,
it's not like--

everyone's like, "Oh, you're
a stripper, you're rich."

And it's like,
"But it does go on things,"

do you know what I mean? Like,
you've got to buy your make ups,

and you got to cut
off the products
that you need for yourself.

Do your family and friends,
and I bet this,
I mean, obviously,

-your younger brother,
he knows what you do?
-Yeah, my younger brother does.

Do your friends know,
or do you have friends
that have got no idea?

[Honey] I've got a few friends
that know and a few

friends that have no idea
and I won't tell them.

I know which ones
will stick by me,

and which ones understand,
and which ones don't.

So the ones that do
understand that, I'll tell.

So there is a stigma
then, because there's some
people you won't tell

because you're scared
of their reaction?

-[Honey] Exactly, yeah.
-Okay.

And my parents don't
know either, so.

-They don't?
-No.

How do you find the customers,

the males,
how do they treat you?

Um, you get a lot of-- I've had
a lot of respect for, like,

guys that haven't tried
to do anything to me,
or anything, or disrespect me,

but you get, sometimes
you get sleazes in there

trying to take photos of you.

-Oh, yeah?
-So that's the part

-where it's--
-On their mobile phones,

and trying to shoot
a video or something?

-Yeah.
-Do the customers
proposition you for sex

after a show
or during the night?

Do you get guys
coming on to you?

Yeah, yeah, I've had
a few guys that ask,

"Do you want to
come hang with me?

A thousand dollars,
two thousand," like,

you know, your money's
not worth it,

it's only the dance,
do you know what I mean?

It's like, that's as far
as I'll go, a dance, so.

So you don't cross
the line there?

No, [chuckles] no way.

What about your long-term
career prospects?

Like, do you want to stay
here until finish uni?

Is this the sort of job
you'll keep going?

Yes, I want to keep going,

so I want to keep,
like, doing this,

but I want to pay,
like, help it pay off

my studies and everything.

[Nathan] Honey is a dancer
at Maxine's,

an establishment that belongs to

the queen of Melbourne's
adult industry

and a high-profile social
identity, Maxine Fensom.

In a business dominated by men, Maxine bucks the trend.

Not only is she
the city's biggest provider

of private strip
services and dancers,

she also runs five erotic
websites, an escort service,

started the Australian
adult industry awards,

and even campaigned
for Parliament.

But perhaps she'd like me
to introduce her

in the words she uses
to describe herself,

the Queen of pussy.

[Nathan] Maxine you have
a fascinating story,

please share with us
some of your journey.

Well, basically, I fell
into this business,

and if anyone said that
I was going to work

in this sort of industry
I would have said,

"No, I don't think so."
So, I saw an ad in the--

one of the papers and they
wanted a topless waitress,

and I, "Umm'd" and, "Ah'd"
for about three weeks.

I eventually plucked up
the courage and went
for an interview.

I had to show this
dirty old man my boobs,

and of course I got the job,
stayed there a week.

And he was doing like,
these like, these lunches,

and I thought, "God, I could do
that." And I could do it,
you know, kind of nicer.

And I knew lots of men,
so that's how Maxine started.

Then I started, like,
a stripping agency.

And then prostitution
became legal,

so then I applied for a license.

I was one of the first people
to get an escort agency license,

so then I did that,

and then I started doing
lots of events as well,

like Dildorama, Miss Nude,
Miss Dream Girl, Miss Erotica.

I founded the Adult
Industry Awards

which is 11 years strong.

I've been here for
three and a half years,

great girls,
good staff, good management,

all female management too,
I might add.

And to be honest,
that's why I like it, um.

But it's, it's
a family atmosphere,

it's a very friendly
environment here.

What state is the adult industry

in, in Melbourne, do you think?

Well, I think we're all
sort of struggling

just to keep our
head above water,

just on a political level.

The police are fairly,

have been fairly heavy-handed

with the adult industry.

And I think that's
the struggle for all of us

on a day-to-day basis,

and just the red tape
and the bureaucracy

of running at this sort
of legal business.

People have no understanding,
particularly politicians about

how this business is,
they're afraid,

they don't want to know about
it, so they kind of penalize us.

You know,
it's hard when, you know,
we're open-minded people

and we just want to run our
business, and then you've got
people who don't understand

our business,
and all they want to do

is, um, basically close it down.

So as far as the adult
industry is concerned,

do you believe it has a positive

or negative effect on society?

I think, um,
myself it's positive.

Well, you know, it's employment,

it's a legally run business,

uh, it's run by a woman
as far as my business.

And I think, you know,
girls can come in here

and make a lot of money as
long as they're focused,

and, you know,
give yourself five years,

and make some money
and buy, you know,

a portfolio of houses
and set yourself up.

[upbeat music]

You only have to spend
a night in Melbourne

to realize it as
an energetic party scene.

You see, alcohol is
available from age 18.

And every weekend, teenagers
and 20-somethings

pour into the city to drink
and dance the night away.

Some of them even
end up at recovery parties,

which might seem like
a contradiction,
but I'm assured it's not.

But you see Melbourne is
also a maze of lane-ways,

and alleys,
and sometimes it's hard

to find the right club to go to

unless you're in the know.

But luckily tonight for us,
we're in the know

and we're heading off
to trendy Baroque House.

[club music]

What's a normal Saturday
night like here

as far as, um, meeting someone's
concerned, or picking up?

-Picking up?
-[laughing]

I don't know, there's a lot
to choose from here.

There's a lot more girls
though, isn't it, than guys?

-At the moment, yes, yeah.
-Yeah.

Which is probably
a good thing, you know.

So, what time does
this place go till?

I don't know, maybe,
like four, four-thirty.

And you're here every Saturday?

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

Yeah, awesome!

How do you find
the sexual culture

in Melbourne as a whole?

I would-- Melbourne's
very liberated.

And is picking up the main
thing here at Baroque House?

Uh, you would think so,
if you look around tonight,

there's plenty of women
here for the men.

And, uh, I think 90% of people,
what they come out for

is to pick up ladies,

and they got ladies
to pick up the guys, so.

To have more sex
and have more fun,

that's what I would say,
that's all! [laughs]

[club music]

-How you going?
-Hi!

-What's your name?
-Paula.

-Paula?
-Yeah.

-How are you?
-Good, how are you?

-I'm great.
-What's your name?

My name's Nathan.

Can you tell me what you think

about sexual culture
in Melbourne?

I think these days people
are sluts, like real bad.

Like, you buy a girl two
drinks and she's like,

"Yeah, I'll bang you,"
but, like,

it's fucking wrong, yeah? Yeah.

That's interesting. How many
guys do you have hit on you

when you go out on
any particular night,

-like, on a Saturday night?
-Countless.

-Yeah?
-Yeah.

Do you think that
alcohol and drugs

plays a big part in sexual
culture in Melbourne?

'Cause once
you're high, free love!

Yeah! [laughs]

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, nice to meet you.

What do you think about
same-sex picking up?

Like, do you know, like,
do many of your girlfriends

or yourself ever pick up girls?

I think when girls
go out together

they're more
affectionate than guys,

so they kind of fool
around and that,

and it's just for kicks,

like, they don't, you know,

it doesn't usually
mean anything.

But then again it is awkward
when you kiss a girl

and they are a lesbian,
that's a little bit awkward.

-The kind of people--
-[Nathan] I also had a chance

to talk to Darren, who is organizing tonight's club event,

and ask him about the sexual
culture in Melbourne.

...you know,
that's the environment
that we're running here.

It's making sure that everyone
can meet who they want to meet,

and make sure they can
have fun while they do it,

but certainly there's a lot
of that sexual activity

in Melbourne, it's just whether
you know about it or not.

People are out there every week
and they're meeting new people.

I think people are a lot more
active than they let off.

Do you think alcohol
and/or drugs

is a big influence
towards a sexual culture,

and sexual exploration
that goes down in the city?

Yeah, well,
another great question.

You see, there's a lot of
guys who are into the drugs

and a lot of girls
follow that about them,

so, you know, it's sometimes sad
to see what some people would do

to be part of that experience,

but I'm think it
does by a huge part,

probably more than we think,

but, um, certainly, you know
behind closed doors,

anyone can do what they like.

[club music]

[Nathan] The idea of teenagers
bumping into each other

on the dance floor
is a little too tame

for some people's tastes.

You see, there's
a thriving underground

swingers culture
here in Melbourne

that dates back to the 1960s.

So, we're going to head
out into the suburbs

to talk to the host
of Club True Blue,

one of Melbourne's
longest-running swingers clubs.

-Welcome, Nathan.
-Thanks, guys.

This is where we hold our
parties, Club True Blue.

Can you tell us about the club
itself and how it began?

Well, we started the, uh,
parties back in, well, 2000 now,

so it's ten years or so.

So you obviously
enjoy it because--

-the length it's been going.
-[laughing]

It looks like it actually
has to be couples?

-Yeah, it's only couples
that we... we run for, yeah.
-Okay.

-Just for swinging couples.
-I suppose the history
of swinging is couples.

-It is couples.
-Yeah, yeah.

I mean, we occasionally
as in singles,

single ladies
but not single men.

You seem to attract
all sorts of people

from all different
walks of life and, uh...

Yeah, there's nothing
really specific

that you'd say that there's
a certain type of person.

But you guys are
obviously comfortable,

but perhaps more comfortable
even physically

than a lot of other people.

After speaking for
a female perspective, um,

you know, a lot of women,
they have body issues,
and all the rest of it.

The parties have really
helped me overcome that,

because everyone, sort of,
when they dress down,

they're walking around
in lingerie or nothing.

And no one cares
what you look like, um.

-So there's not
pretentiousness--
-No, not at all.

It's a comfortable environment,
and everybody here

-are thinking the same way.
-Exactly.

I suppose, the best way,
for when I describe
it to first timers,

is like going to a friend's
place for a party.

All very friendly,
very relaxed, very casual,

just obviously with
the added extra.

-Yeah.
-Yeah, yeah.

[Nathan] I really wanted
to find out

why couples engage in swinging,

and to answer this,
David and Julie

took me to their bedroom.

Because I think it's
a natural part of life,

as in, we all enjoy the sex,

and, um, for the fact
that you can

experience it with your partner,

we all have different
fantasies and so forth.

One partner might not be
able to, um, provide all that,

where-- and then you get
people that are cheating,

and have affairs,
and go behind our backs,

and have all these
secrets and things

to try and live that life,
whereas you don't,

you don't need to in
this sort of lifestyle.

You can enjoy
everything you want.

It's all very open and honest.

So, if you could run us
through a normal,

normal night here
for the events,

how they unfold from
start to finish.

What would we expect if we
came down on our first time?

When people first arrive,
either David or myself
will show people into the house.

We'll show them around, um,
introduce them to all the
other people that are here,

and then usually for
about the first hour,

hour and a half, very social.

People have a few
drinks, mix and mingle.

We've got a spa set up
out in our garage.

Um, then after that time
people will dress down,

whatever they're
comfortable wearing,

lingerie, erotic gear,

and head off into
the rooms for a bit of fun.

Then about-- and after
an hour or so,

people will come up for
some fresh air... [chuckles]

...have a few drinks,
sort of freshen themselves up,

and then the evenings
usually finish up

one thirty-ish, thereabouts.

How is it that you
are strong enough

and are able to overcome
the, uh, feeling of jealousy?

For one, we have a very open
and straightforward
relationship.

There's no, no need
to have any, any doubts,

or secrets,
or anything like that.

So, for me, I can talk
to Julie about anything,

and I think for most people
that are in the lifestyle,

I think it seems
to be the same way.

They have a very open
and strong relationship,

so the jealousies may be there,

but they don't really, um,
you know, create any issues.

I find that, you know,
they're the sort of things

that create problems
for, uh, couples,

is when you've got those
sort of restrictions,

and one doesn't match the other,

and you're not living
a happy lifestyle,

everything's going
to get in the way

and create problems, you know.
I think this way you can live

an open and honest relationship

that, um, you're both very close

-and comfortable
with each other.
-I suppose you're not ever then

worried that someone's
going to cheat eventually.

-No, not really.
-It's not there.

It's actually, uh,
more encouraged

to, uh, have those desires
and, um, fantasies,

and experiment with them,
more so than try and keep
it from your partner.

It's really about
encouraging to be involved.

I think our whole culture
and our lifestyles

are starting to open up,
and become more aware,

and, uh, focused on what
we want and so forth.

And that really, I suppose,

attracts people to this
sort of lifestyle.

[Julie] Yeah, and we don't
go door knocking.

[laughs] No, we don't.

-They'll come and knock here.
-Maybe we should?

-Well.
-[both laughing]

Thank you so much for your
time guys, it's been great.

-You're welcome,
-Pleasure, thank you.

-Lovely to talk.
-Thank you so much.

My experience has taught me

that most people find the idea

of swapping their partner
for sex unappealing.

I'm here to speak
with Dr. Janet Horn,

or Dr. Jan as
she likes to be called,

who's a clinical psychologist,
relationship expert,

and has written dozens
of books on sex.

I'm hoping she can
help me understand

the idea behind
swingers parties,

and the health behind
Melbourne's diverse sexual
culture.

[Nathan] What do you believe
is the modern

sexual attitude in Melbourne?

Well, I think that sex
nowadays is anything goes,

and whereas in other, um, eras

might have said the same
in the, you know, 1920s, uh,

nowadays women are not repressed

in the ways that they were.

And in fact they now say that

oral all sex is
the new goodnight kiss.

So, I'm fascinated with how
young people in particular

hook up and have
sex with strangers.

Do you think that men
become addicted to sex, uh,

because it's a good--
it's used as a stress relief?

I think a lot of men
use sex as a de-stress,

and they will go to something
like a prostitute,

or online, or a
swinging situation

because, um, they've
got no obligation

to express themselves
emotionally,

but they get that release

because of the sexual
gratification.

And there's release, relief,

um, and then there's
sort of some space

emotionally for them.

And, um, then they're on
the rollercoaster

because next time they
feel the pressure,

the stress, it's like, "Aw,
what made me feel good last time

was sexual expression,
let's go get it again."

The next minute,
they're addicted.

This is different for
women though, isn't it?

Because women, uh, can we say,

feel pleasure in perhaps
a slightly different way?

I think that, um,
there really isn't, um,

the same
opportunities for women.
Sure, there's online sex,

but most women would be quite
satisfied with their vibrator.

-[chuckles]
-And, um, you know,
even older women now

have discovered how easy it is

to use a vibrator to
have an orgasm, so.

You know, it's like for
them, um, in the moment

they have their own
way of getting off,

and, um, they're happy
enough with that.

They don't need
the complications.

Is Melbourne considered
sexually healthy, um,

in relation to other countries?

Well, you know, we have the
stereotypes around countries,

you know, like in
Holland, and Amsterdam,

and the red-light district

just being really, really, open.

And Melbourne doesn't
really have the same,

the King's Cross that they
might have in Sydney,

but I think that particularly
for young people,

um, that hook up, um, ability,
it's happening worldwide.

Obviously with that though
also comes more problems,

more STIs, more STDs.

Well, yes, safe sex
really is, you know,

the be-all,
end-all, or should be.

But, uh,
there are so many people

who also do the bare-backing

that could put
them in, you know,

severe, at severe health risks.

Um, I think that, just,
it's often fueled by
alcohol or drugs.

I was just about to say that.
Do you think that
in Melbourne that, um,

you know, sexual freedom
or experimentation

is fueled by intoxication?

Well, I think in Melbourne
and every other
place of the world

that, you know, once it--
there's some kind of, um,
substance being enjoyed,

um, then inhibitions go down

and, um, sexual expression
becomes easy.

That seems to be the culture
here, is that people will go out

on the weekend
after they've worked all week,

they'll drink until
their tipsy or drunk,

and then they'll
have the booty calls,

or they'll try and pick up.

And the one-night stands

-are quite, uh, popular.
-Absolutely.

I mean, I had a young
girl, she was only 23

and gorgeous, like
a little fairy.

She was just really,
really pretty,

great figure. And she said,
"I've never had an orgasm."

And I said, "Oh
well, tell me about,

you know, your partners."

And she said, "I've lost count."

I said, "What happened?"
She said, "I go out
on Friday night,

get drunk, and then end up

having sex with somebody."
And I said, "Why?"

-And she said,
"Well, you just do it."
-[Nathan lightly chuckles]

[upbeat music]

American comedian
Billy Crystal once said,

"Women need a reason
to have sex,

men just need a place."

Well, if you live in
Melbourne you're in luck.

The city has had legal
prostitution since 1986,

and illegal massage parlors

existed for over
a century before that.

There are currently about
a hundred registered
brothels in town,

and today I'm at
the biggest one of them all.

The world-renowned Daily Planet.

It's so successful
it's even listed

on the Australian
Stock Exchange.

The Daily Planet is, um,
Melbourne's, um, oldest

and certainly among
the largest registered,

licensed brothel in
the southern hemisphere.

Um, we are registered
here for 18 rooms

to be able to use
for prostitution.

Okay, wow, can you
give us a tour?

We certainly can, off we go.

-Each room has, um, a name.
-Right.

And we're just now going
to see the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean.

-Oh, wow, okay.
-This is the largest room
that we have, um, in the brothel

with the three, um,
the three beds,

and it has the largest spa.

-Um, we call this a party room.
-Okay. [chuckles]

It is available to just, um,
a couple if they want,

but if there are, um,
gentlemen wanting

to have, you know, two ladies,

or two gentlemen here
with two ladies,

we usually allocate
them to this room.

[Nathan] And what about
the hygiene issues?

Well, we run under very
strict, um, regulations here.

All of the towels, beds,
sheets, et cetera, um,

of course are constantly
changed and washed.

And as far as infections go
and stuff like that,

are the women tested regularly?

By law they're
required to be tested.

They have, um, swabs done
and have to give us

a medical certificate
every month.

-Right.
-And they also have to have

blood for HIV, et cetera,

and at the moment that's
on a three monthly basis.

[Nathan] The Daily Planet
also has a strict

no sexual contact
without a condom rule,

to ensure the health of both
its workers and its customers.

The girls each have
favorite rooms,

you know, that they're--
they like to use.

Some of them like to
use the smaller ones,

some of them are happier in,
um, the slightly larger ones.

Okay, nice shower
though, nice beds,

-and obviously a beautiful spa.
-A beautiful spa.

[Nathan] Gayle seemed a most
unlikely brothel madam

and she had an endearing
sense of humor about the job.

-Mirrors on the roof.
-Mirrors on the ceiling,

they're not necessarily
always a good look.

As you look up
you probably think,

"Good God, I didn't realize
I looked that bad."

-[both laughing]
-Oh, wow.

[Nathan] But I really wanted
to find out more

about the girls that worked
at The Daily Planet.

Gayle, how many women are
working here at any one time?

During the daytime we only, um,

we perhaps average six to eight

between ten o'clock in the
morning till 8 o'clock at night.

Um, of an evening we certainly
have more come on duty.

On Friday and Saturday nights

we have 30-plus ladies
on duty at any one time.

And how long would
any girl be working?

They can choose to do as
many shifts as they like,

but we watch that.

If someone is doing
a lot of shifts

and doing a lot of bookings,

um, whereas that's great for
us that they're here,

it sometimes is not necessarily
the best thing for the girl.

-And how old? What age range
are we looking at?
-Um...

Well, they range from 18,

because it's certainly illegal

to be here under that age.

And I think the lady,
the oldest lady

that, um, we have that comes
in, is in her early 50s.

Hmm, okay, wow.

[Gayle] I personally think that,

um, it's a very difficult
job that they do,

um, and I've spoken to some
of them about it,

how do they actually
manage to, um, be normal?

-Um--
-how do they function outside?

Function outside-- um, when you
do the job that they do.

And they have different
ways of approaching it.

Um, all the ladies that I
certainly know that work here,

um, they're very upbeat.
Um, they're happy

with what they're doing because
they've chosen to do it.

-Okay, right.
-It's their choice, um,

how they, um,
conduct their lives, um--

Right, so you wouldn't have
a girl that works here

who comes in, who hates it,
that doesn't want to be here?

-I don't believe so, no.
-Okay.

Some of them they said, like,
they really like sex.

It doesn't serve the purposes.
If she really hates it,

it would reflect in the service
that you gave to the client.

You can hardly be really
hating what you're doing

and give good service.

What is the most times
a girl's booked clients

in one night that you know of?

Probably the most
I've seen is 12.

-Wow.
-12 hours.

-12, so 12 clients in 12 hours?
-Yes.

Gayle, what would you say
is the future of
The Daily Planet?

Do you think this is a place
that will be long-standing?

Do you think it'll be
here in ten years?

I believe it would
be here in ten years,

in 20 years, maybe
even in 30 years.

This industry, um,
and there's lots and lots

of brothels in Melbourne,

they exist because
there's a need for it.

It's not like we make
clients come in,

they come in because
they have a need.

-Right.
-Um.

They've had the same need
for a long, long time.

And I can't see in the future

why that will alter.

So as they say, the
longest-running profession.

-That it is, is quite correct.
-Okay.

[dramatic music]

[Nathan] But not all sex work
is as glamorous as
the Daily Planet.

Here on notorious Grey Street,
in the beach-side
suburb of St Kilda,

desperate girls ply
their trade nightly,
risking health and safety.

It stands in stark comparison
to the sleek cocktail bars

and expensive restaurants
that are within a stone's
throw of this corner.

A rather dark underbelly

to the city's polished exterior.

[Nathan] Of course,
it's not just heterosexuals
that are interested

in paying for sexual pleasure.

There is a booming industry here
for same-sex male escorts.

I'm here to meet with Alex,
who's a male gigolo, about his
encounters and experiences.

He's agreed to do the interview
as long as we meet
in a public place,

so I'm not entirely sure
he's going to show up,

but fingers crossed.

-Alex, thanks for coming.
-Hi.

-So you're originally
from Thailand?
-Yes, I'm from Thailand.

Can you tell us how you
got the initial idea
to become an escort?

Um, because of my visa,
it's very hard to get a job

and get out the schools
salary, or well-paid,

because if I work
in a restaurant,

like, work really hard,
like, we get just like,

uh, $10 per-- a, an hour.

I feel like I did that before

and then it makes me sick,

or maybe I find something else.

And then, "How about just sex?,"

because I like to
have sex on... too.

-[laughs]
-So as far as clientele
is concerned,

what is expected of you or from
you within your services?

Definitely he
expect sex from me,

but, um, but we can't
have sex like whole days.

Uh, some clients,
they're going to do like a day

or a whole night client.

They just like to
have a good company

with someone, and just
talking, and, like, happy.

Now we just spend a time with,

and just make them happy,

and then just sex just
once time, that's it.

Do you charge a lot
of money by the hour?

-How much do you charge?
-I'll charge a lot because

I don't want to work that much.

And I just up my rate
to $300 for an hour.

And do you, uh, just work
in the one city,

or do you have clients that
fly you around Australia?

I got once, I'm--
they're from Gold Coast.

Yeah, they come to holiday here

and then they ask me
to go back with them.

And in a Gold Coast
for three days,

and they pay me per days,

like, 2,000 something per day.

-$2,000 a day?
-Yeah.

And do you practice safe sex?

Yes, always.

Except, [laughs]
I service my boyfriend's,

he's someone I know very well.

And your boyfriend know
what you do as an escort?

-Yes.
-And he's comfortable with that?

He's my client. [laughs]

-Really?
-Yeah.

-Wow, okay, interesting.
-[laughs]

Um, it sounds like
a weird question,

but do you enjoy what you do?

If you got a right client, like,

not really old, I'm sorry, like,

not, uh, really ugly and like
still have the good, uh, sex,

or hot sex, we still
enjoy good sex.

But sometime we have
to take care, like,

"Sorry, like, very old

and... fat,"
and something like that,

is quite, we have to force
ourselves to do that, uh.

Okay.

[Nathan] Meeting Alex has
got me interested in

a type of gay dating
scene that exists here,

so I'm going to go and check
out Wet on Wellington,

which has been described
as Melbourne's finest
gay pool and sauna.

If you're a heterosexual
you probably don't even
know the place exists

and would never have
seen the inside.

We're going to go
and have a look before
the doors open for trade.

-G'day, Shane.
-G'day, Nathan, welcome
to Wet On Wellington.

Thank you. So can you tell us
a bit about the establishment?

Yeah, Wet On Wellington
is a venue

that's designed for
gay and bisexual men.

Uh, it's a, it's a safe
house, if you like,

where they can come
and enjoy the company

of like-minded men,
um, in an area that,
um, affords them

the freedom to be able to
feel good about themselves

and enjoy the facilities.

Our venue is probably rated as

probably number
one in Australia,

and probably within the top
five or six of the world.

We have a 25 meter
swimming pool.

We have saunas,
bar and steam rooms.

We have in a theater room
that plays, um, the latest DVDs.

Computer area,
people can come here

and use the Internet
free of charge,

so even for $20 entry
you could basically

sit, sit down all day on
the Internet if you want.

So, if you come here and you
don't find someone that

isn't to your liking,
you can jump on the Net
and invite them down.

So it's very relaxed
and it's like you cater
for all type of situations.

Absolutely.
Being gay and say, closeted

where you're not out to society,

you're quite limited to
where you can go, you know,

be it a bar or something
like that, to meet
like-minded people,

even just to talk.

You can come in here and you
know that whoever you talk to,

you're not going to get
a smack in the ear.

[Nathan] I asked Shane to show
me around upstairs,

which has quite a reputation.

It is totally different
to the downstairs.

Uh, upstairs we have cubicles
and, um, play areas

for people to cruise around

and do what they do best.

-How do you say that?
-[Nathan laughs]

-Every room has
condoms and lube.
-Mm-hmm.

-How many rooms are
up here, Shane?
-31?

-31.
-Yeah, it's not for sleeping in.

[chuckles] Have a look at this.

-[Shane] What about
for yourself?
-[laughs]

So, a bit of role-playing
goes along here.

We call this a heavy duty room.

All right, it does
look heavy-duty.

-It does, yeah.
-Mm.

This area here is
the Suckitaurium.

Right, and what is
the Suckitaurium?

There's only one
way to tell you.

Basically, if you go
into the top area,

shove your dick through a hole,

and it's my head height.

So you just want to have a look
in say, the first one there.

[Shane] See the hole here?

-[Shane calling from outside]
-[Nathan] Oof.

-Wow.
-[Shane] A large
group play area.

What's, what type of scenario--

what's a regular scenario that
would happen in in this room?

Um, group playing, basically.

Just people wanting to
get together in a group.

-That's quite popular.
-Okay.

Much to people's disbelief,

-people do like
playing in groups.
-Yeah.

The difference with
the two porn lounges...

is, this one we play
a younger style of porn,

and in the back one
we play more of a heavy duty,

so more of a manly
type porn up there,
younger type stuff here.

We don't, um, play anything
that shows bare-backing,

in other words,
sex without condoms,

and we don't play, uh, any films
that show any form of violence.

-Right--
-It's all--

So, no sexual violence?

No sexual violence.

[Shane] We have our
code of conduct here

that people must abide by.

And they're written
in such a way that

people are meant to understand,

"No," means, "No."

-Great.
-Very, very simple.

We push the safe sex
rule all the time,

although you can't be
there watching everyone,

you know, it's important
part of our days lives

whether you're straight or gay.

[Nathan] What sort of clients
do you have come here?

Monday to Friday, 85% of people

-that don't identify as gay.
-Mm-hmm.

On weekends, it's,
uh, probably 80%

that do identify as gay.

People that party
at other venues

and then come here for
a relaxation afterwards,

uh, for winding down, um,

or people that just
come here to have sex.

So do people class
the venue as a brothel?

No, they don't.
Um, and it's totally

far removed from a brothel.

The difference with
ourselves and a brothel is

with a brothel, you pay for sex.

Here you're paying an entrance
fee to use the facilities.

If by chance you meet someone

and you choose to
have sex with them,

then that's totally void of us

organizing it or doing
anything like that.

We really are running a totally
straight up and down venue,

uh, for the benefit of
gay and bisexual people
just to enjoy themselves.

[Nathan] Wet On Wellington
was fascinating,
but I was about to embark

on an even more
interesting adventure.

-[lighthearted music]
-The famous French
sexual sadist,

the Marquis de Sade wrote,
"It is always by way of pain

that one arrives at pleasure,"

and out here at this little
quiet pocket of Melbourne

at what looks like a fairly
nondescript warehouse,

but it's far more than that.
To someone walking past,

they'd have no idea that
is in fact a dungeon.

So I'm going to put my
inhibitions on hold
and take a peek inside.

-Hi, it's nice to meet you.
-Thanks for having us.

-Welcome to Fetish House.
-Thank you so much.

And I'll give you
a bit of a tour.

Please do, that'll be great.

[Nathan] Dominatrix
Mistress Emmeline

has offered to show me
around Fetish House,

a six room bondage dungeon
that offers services

for the more sexually
adventurous.

To start, we have our
cross-dressing room...

-Okay.
-...Which is kitted out with

pretty much every costume
you could ever need.

-[Nathan] Oh, right.
-We've got regular
women's clothing

as well as the more
fetish sort of things,

if you like to dress
up as a schoolgirl,

or a police officer,
or anything you like.

Someone will come in
and they'll have a fantasy

about, um, being taught
how to walk like a woman,
how to speak...

-Oh, right.
-...how to dress,
how to walk in heels,

which is harder than most of
them think. [laughs] And, yeah,
they just get dressed up.

And, yeah, it's just
the perfect atmosphere
to get organized and girly.

[Nathan] Activities such as
role play, torture,

and domination, are actively
promoted and recommended.

And Mistress Emmeline
loves every minute of it.

-Dungeon three.
-Yes.

This has got the bondage bed

so you can actually lock
people up in there,

make sure they
don't go anywhere.

Um, the suspension rack in
here is very popular.

But I like to call it
the slave of fortune

because you can spin
people around on it.

-Okay, the slave of fortune.
-Yeah, it's a slave of fortune.

-Wow.
-You just get strapped
in and enjoy the ride.

-So it's very medieval.
-It is, yeah, a lot
of the torture and,

um, you know, discipline is all
based around the medieval.

[Nathan] Don't think I want to
get locked up in that!

Well, that's half
the fun [Emmeline laughs]

-That's what
people come in for.
-You can spend some time

in there if you've
been a bad puppy.

-[Nathan] Mm-hmm, alright.
-This is probably

my favorite room.
This is the medical room.

It's, um, all authentic,
everything from
the naughty nurse

through the suturing.
And for example,

you can suture the skin,

so a man no longer
appears to have a penis,

so that can be part
of the cross-dressing

transformation as well.

Um, and you can also suture
different things,

like, you can make
the corsets on the back.

That's generally play piercing

but that's all part
of it as well.

Yeah, lots of blood play.

-Right.
-Which is definitely

an acquired taste. [laughs]

-[Emmeline] This is
dungeon two...
-Yeah.

-...which has got the cross,
which is always good.
-Mm-hmm.

[Emmeline] Lots of nice
custom-made furniture.

And this is probably
the most equipped room,

in terms of, um, the more
pain inflicting devices.

This one's got the horse,
it's got the table

that you can twist them into
really awkward positions.

-Oh, okay.
-Yeah, the chair.

-So, it's, yeah, it's
a fantastic room for...
-Mm.

-...lots of the more
fetish side of things.
-So, torture chamber.

[Nathan] All of these tools were
used for what's known as BDSM.

[Emmeline] BDSM stands for
bondage, discipline,
sadomasochism.

-Right.
-Um.

It usually means bondage,
um, different restraints, um,

the dominant/submissive role.

-Do you have a high pain
threshold yourself?
-I do, yeah.

I've got a high pain threshold
and a high bullshit tolerance.

-[laughs]
-So, I do have to put up
with a lot of it sometimes.

What are the customers
like that come here,

what sort of people
tend to come here?

Well, obviously it's not
just a bit of chump change,

like, you've got--
it's 240 for an hour.

-Yeah.
-And so, mostly,
we do see middle-class,

um, white-collar employees.

I get a lot of, uh,
police officers and firemen.

-Wow.
-But doing that, they like to
be in the submissive role,

I'm assuming because
they like being in--

they're in charge throughout
the rest of their lives,

-so they like letting
go of it a little bit...
-Okay.

-...in their sexual life.
-So it's very much psychological

-as much as it is physical?
-Yes, often it's more
psychological than anything.

-Right.
-A 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.

Can you go too far, can some--
can a client go too far, or?

You have your safe limits,
and your safe words,
and your hard limits.

Um, a hard limit
is something that you
won't do no matter what.

And so, for me,
my hard limits are anything
to do with children,

anything to do with animals,
and anything to do with scat.

Anything else is
pretty much open game.

[Nathan] Now that I knew Mistress Emmeline's hard limits,

I thought I'd take
the opportunity

to engage in a little
bondage myself.

So, what's this contraption?
I'm guessing I sort of...

-It's a horse.
-...bend over?

Yeah, I'll show you
what it does.

[Nathan chuckles]

I'll give you the suede one.

-Okay.
-[whip slaps]

-Like that, yeah.
-Alright. Okay.

You just have to bend
over a little bit further

so you're a bit more
vulnerable, yeah.

-Okay.
-[both laughing]

See, that's the way it works.

And, look, as far as the levels
of hardcore are concerned,

obviously, like, there's
so much that goes on here,

and there must be
such a wide variety

of customer requests,
and what you guys do,

but what would you
deem hardcore?

Severe caning would
have to be one of my...

-the ones that make me cringe.
-Yeah.

We do get clients
that come in and they want

you to make
them bleed with a cane,

and to hit them that hard
with a cane is very--

it'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.

Wow. So this one here
looks quite severe.

Yeah, that one actually
hurts a lot. [chuckles]

Usually put that around
the base of someone's

-dick and their balls.
-Mm-hmm.

Put their dick through there,

and if you get hard
it'll hurt a lot.

[Nathan] There was one thing
that I'd always wanted to try,

and luckily Mistress
Emmeline had one on hand.

Um, this is a gimp mask.

It's used by gimps.

It's a really good way of
de-personalizing a slave

or a submissive. And so
we'll give you a shot.

We'll see the difference.

[laughs]

[Nathan] It was not the most comfortable thing I'd ever worn

and very claustrophobic.

You know, if they talk
too much you can

just get rid of them like that.

Can shut them up.

-[Nathan mumbles]
-[Emmeline laughs]

We'll put the dildo
in there. [laughs]

[Nathan chuckles]

Yeah, now you panic. [laughs]

[upbeat music]

From everything I've seen,
Melbourne has an extensive
and varied sex industry.

Is that a good thing?
What are the benefits, if any,
of legalized prostitution?

I'm here to talk with
Project Respect,

a sex worker support
organization,
to find out their view.

Project Respect has outreach
to women in the sex industry,

so we visit women in brothels,

-Right.
-We also build up
understanding and awareness

about trafficking with other
women in the sex industry,

so, 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,
uh, brothels.

Approximately how many
brothels do you know of
that are operating in Melbourne?

There's 90 to 95
licensed brothels,

and I've heard 130
unlicensed brothels.

As far as women
that are trafficked

to Melbourne for sex work.

We estimate that
there's probably

300 women trafficked
to Melbourne every year.

-Right.
-We'd say about a thousand

women trafficked to
Australia every year.

And where were they coming from?

They tend to come from Asia.

At the moment it
seems like most women

are coming from South Korea,

but in the past,
Thailand has been the place

where most women have come from,

with other women from
Malaysia, China,

uh, the Philippines, Taiwan.

Do we know who brings them?

It seems to me that
there's a link with

ethnic groups and kind of,
I guess, ethnic based mafia,

um, but I think, you know,
Australians are also,

certainly Australian
citizens are involved in
and exploiting women here.

Are these trafficked women
working in these
illegal brothels then?

No, trafficked women are
kept in legal brothels.

-In legal?
-Yes.

Wow, okay.

Every case that has been
investigated and prosecuted

in Australia of trafficking,
has involved trafficking
into legal brothels,

and all the women who we know of
were kept in legal brothels.

[Nathan] I really wanted to ask
Nina about Club 417,

the most famous case
of prosecuted sex
trafficking in Melbourne.

So...

Club 417 is a brothel on
Brunswick Street in Fitzroy

in the heart of our cafe strip.

Um, it's a pretty nondescript
little place, you walk past it,

you probably think
that it's just, you know,

an empty shop,
but it's a brothel.

And in 2003,
the police did a raid

and they found five
trafficked women in there.

They charged the
brothel owner Wei Tang

and her manager Paul Pick

with possessing
and using slaves.

They were told that
they owed her debts of

between 45 and 90
thousand dollars

which they had to
pay off by doing

prostitution in her brothel.

They paid it off
within a few months,

and it means that
they were doing

about ten clients a night,

every single night
for three months.

Which in itself
is an incredible,

you know, toll on your body.

It was about 800 or 900 men

that each of the women did

before they paid off the debt.

And again, 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.

[Nathan] That led
to the question,
did Nina think there

was a difference
between legal prostitution
and illegal sex trafficking?

Having legal brothels
in Victoria,

I think can make it easier
to hide trafficked women,

because there is an
assumption that brothels

are safe if they are regulated,

that they're, you know,
that they're following

laws and regulations.

But really, what...

What shapes whether or not
we have trafficked women,

is whether or not we accept
prostitution at all.

Project Respect is adamant
about the harms and
costs of prostitution,

legal or otherwise.

So in order to get
another opinion,

I've been invited to
a rally for abortion rights

by the president of this trans
sex party, Fiona Patten.

On a very wet, cold,
rainy, Melbourne day,

um, we're out showing
our support for

the abortion clinic behind us.

-Yeah.
-[Fiona] Every 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, um, during the day,

-[Nathan] Right.
-And we're here to show our
support for the clinic.

It's so important that women
have that right to choose,

and I-- you know,
we've seen that

when women don't have control
of their reproductive rights,

they take it into
their own hands,

and we see backyard
abortions setting up,

and we see very,
you know, unsafe practices.

Frankly, you know,
it would be great if we had

really good sex education,

and that would probably mean
that we would have

less abortions in this country.

But they-- it needs to
remain legal and safe.

[Nathan] So, more money
in education?

[Fiona] More sex education
would definitely mean

less unwanted pregnancies.

[Nathan] I also wanted to ask
Fiona's opinion

about legalized
prostitution in Melbourne.

I am all in favor
for sex workers

to be able to work
legally and safely.

-[crowd chants]
-Um, but I would
probably support

a decriminalized system
rather than legalization,

which is about treating
the sex industry

as any other business.

So, whether you're
a hairdresser or a sex worker,

you have the same rights
and responsibilities.

What's your take on the number
of legalized brothels

that are actually
here in Melbourne?

Unfortunately,
it's, it's actually

probably over regulated here.

And 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."

So they set up very
draconian laws,

which means that probably

two thirds of the
industry in Melbourne

work-- it operates illegally.

So, for every one legal brothel,

you have two or three
illegal brothels operating.

Uh, 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 a very good path.
And Melbourne has gone
some way to it,

but, you know,
it could be better.

[Nathan] Do you believe that
legalized prostitution

discourages trafficking?

I certainly do when it's
well-managed and well run.

So, as I was saying
before, I actually think

with a legalized system,
we should actually enable

workers from other
countries to work here

safely and legally.
And that, I think

could be done through
a visa system.

So, 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.

[Nathan] That led me to
my final question,

which was whether Melbourne
was becoming more liberal

or conservative in
its approach to sex?

Well, thankfully,
I think Australians

are becoming far more
liberal in their approach,

and you can only see that like,
in the statistics about
who supports gay marriage

or, you know, is opposed
to Internet censorship.

But unfortunately,

our politicians are going
the opposite direction,

and I think they,
they tend to listen

to small minority groups like
the people across the street,

um, and kowtow to them rather
than listening to the majority.

-Thank you so much
for your time.
-Thanks, Nathan.

-It's been a pleasure.
-Thank you, likewise.

Thank you, Fiona.

[upbeat music]

[Nathan] It's my last few
hours in Melbourne,

I've finally had
a chance to sample

some of its much
celebrated coffee.

The city is modern
and cosmopolitan.

It has impressive skyscrapers

and expensive restaurants.

I've seen all aspects
of its sexual culture

and it's been a real eye-opener.

There'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.

And although the sex
industry, legal and illegal,

is all around them,
Melburnians seem to go about

their daily lives without
giving it a second glance.

For those involved, however,

it can be lucrative,
exhilarating,

and dangerous to
both body and mind.

It'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.

For now though,
it's time to leave.

[upbeat music]

[theme music]