In an all too predictable triumph for the ACT’s regulators the Canberra Times brings word that the burned out Gentlemens Club in Mitchell had no registration with the Office of Regulatory Services.
The Office of Regulatory Services was unable to find a registration for the Grimwade Street brothel, after it was requested by The Canberra Times. It has now advised ACT Policing that the brothel was not registered.
The ACT’s Prostitution Act says operators of a brothel or escort agency must register the business at least seven days before it begins to operate. Brothel owners who don’t register can be fined or imprisoned for up to a year, according to the Act.
”The Office of Regulatory Services has tried to contact the previous registered operator and has advised ACT Policing that there are no registered brothels at 1/36 Grimwade Street,” a spokesman for Justice and Community Safety said.
It just fills one with confidence doesn’t it?
UPDATE: Like a seagull onto a chip the Liberals’ Vicki Dunne is very excited by this development:
“If this brothel has been operating unlicensed, this would be a clear breach of the ACT Prostitution Act, and I will certainly be raising this in the current Assembly inquiry into the Act.
“I have also sought a briefing on how this error has occurred from ACT Policing and ACT Regulatory Services.
“The fact this issue was only brought to the government’s attention following police investigations of a suspected arson attack seriously calls into question whether there are other unlicensed establishments in Canberra.
“I call on Simon Corbell to explain how this occurred and the steps he will take to ensure all brothels in Canberra are compliant with ACT law,” Mrs Dunne concluded.