Western Australian Parliament outlining the public health implications of a piece of legislation/regulation

You are required to write a submission to the Western Australian Parliament outlining the public health implications of a piece of legislation/regulation and make recommendations for changes (if any).
The topic for this assessment in 2015 is:
•    Prostitution Bill 2011 (regulatory approach for sex work in Western Australia)
This legislation was proposed but due to internal debate within the government has not progressed beyond its second reading to be voted on.
This assessment requires you to review a range of materials to inform your argument including transcripts from Hansard (written records of parliamentary discussion and debate), peer-reviewed articles, opinion pieces and media stories.
You are required to think critically, examine a variety of viewp01oints and develop an argument based on the available evidence. Your submission should present your information, point of view and supporting evidence or reasons clearly, precisely and as succinctly as possible.
The submission should be referenced (minimum 20 peer-reviewed references).
When writing your submission you should:
•    Include an opening paragraph with a summary of your main points (this is not an introduction but a summary of your submission);
•    Indicate why you are for or against the proposed reforms;
•    indicate whether you are for or against any specific measures in the reforms;
•    summarise any changes you want and indicate why (with reference to evidence).
There are some example submissions under ‘Additional resources’ below along with some background information to better understand the topic.
Please use standard research paper formatting in conjunction with the instructions above and the marking key to ensure to achieve a high mark.
Your submission should be in third person. As your arguments should be based on evidence the following statements may be useful for you to use:
•    The evidence suggests that…
•    A study of this approach in New Zealand found an increase in…
•    The legislation may result in… according to…
•    The implications of this aspect of the reforms could be…
Additional Resources

Background information: Prostitution Bill 2011 and sex work regulation
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of this Bill is for an Act to prohibit prostitution from residential areas and limit the number of permitted prostitution businesses to a small number of appropriately located areas subject to stringent regulation. The Bill will repeal theProstitution Act 2000, theProstitution Amendment Act 2008 and theProstitution (Restraining Orders) Regulations 2000; and amend certain other Acts.
The Bill itself can be read here (this includes an explanatory memorandum as well as the actual legislation which can be heavy going but worthwhile reviewing to see what legislation looks like):
•    Prositution Bill 2011
The following speech from the then Attorney General Christian Porter which outlined the proposed changes:
•    Porter, C. (2010) Prostitution Legislation Reforms: Statement by Attorney General [ASSEMBLY – Thursday, 25 November 2010] Extract from Hansard, Parliament of Western Australia.

Perspectives on Sex Work
Not everyone agrees about how sex work should be addressed. The following articles provide a variety of opinions including public health, feminist and those of sex workers themselves. There are other perspectives as well. You might like to think about what these might be.
•    Weitzer, R. (2009) Legalizing Prostitution: Morality Politics in Western Australia. British Journal of Criminology, 49; 88-105.
•    Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., Egger, S., Schneider, K., O’Connor, J., Marshall, L., Chen, M.Y., & Fairley, C.K. (2010). The Sex Industry in Western Australia: a Report to the Western Australian Government. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales.
•    Outshoorn, J. (2005) The Political Debates on Prostitution and Trafficking of Women. Social Politics, International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 12(1); 141-155.
•    Farley, M. (2004) “Bad for the Body, Bad for the Heart”: Prostitution Harms Women Even if Legalized or Decriminalized. Violence Against Women, 10(11); 1087-1125.
•    Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association (2010) Whose safety? Regulation of the sex industry in Western Australia. HIV Australia, 8(4); 24-26.

Example Submissions: Income Inequality
In 2014 students wrote submissions in response to the Senate Inquiry into the Extent of Income Inequality in Australia.
•    Example parliamentary submissions [PDF]

Example Submissions: Fracking
In 2012 students wrote submissions in response to proposed environmental regulations – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) (Environment) Regulations 2011 (this related to hydraulic fracturing of unconventional gas – also known as fracking).
•    Example parliamentary submissions [PDF]

Western Australian Parliament outlining the public health implications of a piece of legislation/regulation

You are required to write a submission to the Western Australian Parliament outlining the public health implications of a piece of legislation/regulation and make recommendations for changes (if any).
The topic for this assessment in 2015 is:
•    Prostitution Bill 2011 (regulatory approach for sex work in Western Australia)
This legislation was proposed but due to internal debate within the government has not progressed beyond its second reading to be voted on.
This assessment requires you to review a range of materials to inform your argument including transcripts from Hansard (written records of parliamentary discussion and debate), peer-reviewed articles, opinion pieces and media stories.
You are required to think critically, examine a variety of viewpoints and develop an argument based on the available evidence. Your submission should present your information, point of view and supporting evidence or reasons clearly, precisely and as succinctly as possible.
The submission should be referenced (minimum 20 peer-reviewed references).
When writing your submission you should:
•    Include an opening paragraph with a summary of your main points (this is not an introduction but a summary of your submission);
•    Indicate why you are for or against the proposed reforms;
•    indicate whether you are for or against any specific measures in the reforms;
•    summarise any changes you want and indicate why (with reference to evidence).
There are some example submissions under ‘Additional resources’ below along with some background information to better understand the topic.
Please use standard research paper formatting in conjunction with the instructions above and the marking key to ensure to achieve a high mark.
Your submission should be in third person. As your arguments should be based on evidence the following statements may be useful for you to use:
•    The evidence suggests that…
•    A study of this approach in New Zealand found an increase in…
•    The legislation may result in… according to…
•    The implications of this aspect of the reforms could be…
Additional Resources

Background information: Prostitution Bill 2011 and sex work regulation
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of this Bill is for an Act to prohibit prostitution from residential areas and limit the number of permitted prostitution businesses to a small number of appropriately located areas subject to stringent regulation. The Bill will repeal theProstitution Act 2000, theProstitution Amendment Act 2008 and theProstitution (Restraining Orders) Regulations 2000; and amend certain other Acts.
The Bill itself can be read here (this includes an explanatory memorandum as well as the actual legislation which can be heavy going but worthwhile reviewing to see what legislation looks like):
•    Prositution Bill 2011
The following speech from the then Attorney General Christian Porter which outlined the proposed changes:
•    Porter, C. (2010) Prostitution Legislation Reforms: Statement by Attorney General [ASSEMBLY – Thursday, 25 November 2010] Extract from Hansard, Parliament of Western Australia.

Perspectives on Sex Work
Not everyone agrees about how sex work should be addressed. The following articles provide a variety of opinions including public health, feminist and those of sex workers themselves. There are other perspectives as well. You might like to think about what these might be.
•    Weitzer, R. (2009) Legalizing Prostitution: Morality Politics in Western Australia. British Journal of Criminology, 49; 88-105.
•    Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., Egger, S., Schneider, K., O’Connor, J., Marshall, L., Chen, M.Y., & Fairley, C.K. (2010). The Sex Industry in Western Australia: a Report to the Western Australian Government. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales.
•    Outshoorn, J. (2005) The Political Debates on Prostitution and Trafficking of Women. Social Politics, International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 12(1); 141-155.
•    Farley, M. (2004) “Bad for the Body, Bad for the Heart”: Prostitution Harms Women Even if Legalized or Decriminalized. Violence Against Women, 10(11); 1087-1125.
•    Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association (2010) Whose safety? Regulation of the sex industry in Western Australia. HIV Australia, 8(4); 24-26.

Example Submissions: Income Inequality
In 2014 students wrote submissions in response to the Senate Inquiry into the Extent of Income Inequality in Australia.
•    Example parliamentary submissions [PDF]

Example Submissions: Fracking
In 2012 students wrote submissions in response to proposed environmental regulations – Petroleum (Submerged Lands) (Environment) Regulations 2011 (this related to hydraulic fracturing of unconventional gas – also known as fracking).
•    Example parliamentary submissions [PDF]