1978 nov st kilda today

Vol 4 No 3

Official Journal of the Council of the City of St Kilda

November 1978

FORUM ON PROSTITUTION AND DRUGS A Community Forum to discuss the effects of prostitution, drugs and other associated social problems on the people of St Kilda is to be held at St Kilda Town Hall on Sunday, November 19 at 2.15 pm.

The Forum has been arranged by St Kilda Council to allow all interested parties to put their views. Local residents, the State Government and Police have been offered the opportunity to speak and it is expected that many residents of St Kilda and other people concerned about the issue will wish to attend.

Residents in the West St Kilda area in particular are deeply concerned at the effect on their quality of life of the rapid increase of prostitution and drug abuse in the area.

Already they have made respresentations to Council including a deputation of 80 people at a recent Council meeting.

The St Kilda Council has made every possible effort, within the law, to eradicate these social problems but there is little more that can be done unless the laws are changed.

The police, too, are also restricted in that they can only act in these matters according to law. The police say that at present, there are no provisions made to enter premises by Warrant. They claim that the only entry to a "massage parlour" available to police is peaceful entry, or upon invita-

Typical of St Kilda massage parlours.

Photo courtesy of The Herald.

tion. If they are told to go, they have to leave the premises.

Police also have problems in obtaining evidence of prostitution and have said that changes in the law are needed for their work to become more effective.

Prostitution —• either in the form of "massage parlours" or street walkers — is not going to disappear by ignoring it, nor by applying rigid planning control. The Council believes that a numbe"r®f controls must be introduced by the Government and it is hoped that the Forum will bring forth the views of others in this important matter.

Council has initiated the Forum to give residents the opportunity to put their views to the Government and State agencies on the problems that they are experiencing.

Cruising cars are a menace, and danger, to local residents of St Kilda.

NURSERY AT FORUM Child minding facilities will be available in the Day Nursery, immediately behind the Town Hall off Carlisle Street, for residents with young children who wish to attend the Forum.

Qualified nursing sisters will be in attendance from noon onwards to look after the children until the Forum is over.

Photo courtesy of The Herald.

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St Kilda Council scored a major victory in the battle to eject massage parlours from the municipality when it won a court case last week.

The operator and company, which owns a massage parlour that was operating without town planning approval, were each fined the maximum of $200 in St Kilda Court.

THE COUNCIL'S POINT OF VIEW

This was the first prosecution brought by the Council since its recent announcement of new measures against parlours operating illegally.

Woolert Nominees Pty. Ltd. was jointly charged with Frances Kiernan in St Kilda Magistrates Court under Section 49 of the To wn and Country Planning Act. They were convicted of using property at 55 Inkerman Street as a massage parlour without the permit required under the Planning Scheme Ordinance.

The charges were laid

by St Kilda Council.

Kiernan, charged as occupier, appeared in C o u r t and pleaded guilty.

Woolert Nominees Pty. Ltd., charged as owner, did not appear and was not represented.

Mr K. Mason, SM, found both the charges proven.

Every possible legal method of limiting the growth of prostitution and its associated social problems has been tried byJ the St Kilda City Council.

Over the past few years, the Council has: •

put forward proposals aimed at tightening up the Town Planning legislation;

•

sent deputations to the Premier and two Chief secretaries;

•

maintained continuous pressure on the State Government;

•

used whatever means are available to it to control massage parlours, particularly those in residential areas;

•

spent increasing amounts of time and money attempting to get convictions against owners and operators of illegal massage parlours;

•

sought support from other Councils to encourage the State Government to recognise that the problem of prostitution is not only confined to St Kilda;

•

sought controls over advertising of massage parlours, without success;

•

expressed concern to the Government at poor health standards prevailing in massage parlours. *

Local suburban newspaper, The Southern Cross, reports that company records show, Woolert Nominees was formed on August 23, 1 9 7 2 , and has a nominated capital of

$10,000.

D i r e c t o r s o f the Company are Keith Joseph Forster, accountant, and Nancy Valerie Forster, investor, both of Mt Eliza.

The two shareholders are Arnold Bloch, of 324 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne and Jeffrey Stanton of 155 Wellington Parade, South Melbourne.

Mr Martin Verhoeven, City Engineer of St Kilda Council, said that the maximum fines allowed for offences against the Town Planning Act were far too low.

"While it is pleasing to have the maximum fines imposed for the first time," he said, "the level is far too low and we have repeatedly asked the Government for them to be increased.

"Since 1976, we have been promised legislation would be amended to increase the maximum level from $200 to $1,000," Mr Verhoeven said. "But nothing - has materialised and last w e e k , , the C o u n c i l repeated its request once again."

Mr Verhoeven said, more cases of breaches

of Town Planning Regulations related to the operation of massage parlours were being prepared for court prosecution in the near future.

The appointment of a full-time officer to investigate and collect evidence would speed up this process.

Council has resolved that, where massage parlours are found to be operating in residential zones, action would be taken at Supreme Court level.

The offence dealt with in St Kilda Court was in a restricted light industry zone where the operation of a massage parlour was permissible at Council's discretion.

The operators of the parlour at 55 Inkerman Street had applied for a permit but were refused by the Council after it had received a number of objections from nearby residents.

To date, Council has successfully prosecuted ten massage parlours and a number of others have closed prior to coming to Court.

In o n e c a s e , a Supreme Court injunction has been granted to prevent a continuation of an unlawful massage parlour.

Cr Helen Halliday has been nominated to put the Council's point of view at the public Forum to be held on Sunday, November She will comment on the State Government's attitude including tmenV°iSeVpraTi,Com.mittees t0 stud

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"Frankly," she says, "I don't believe there is a simple solution.

For example, proponents of decriminalisation suggest that prostitution is a victim-less crime but St Kilda residents are concerned that they, the members of the community, are the victims."

The argument for legalisation is that the State should not interfere in the private agreements between individuals.

Cr Halliday says that there are vast numbers of enforcement problems for those who recommend abolition of prostitution. ''Fines would have to be increased to the point where they are a rea deterrent and this would need to include increased prison sentences " she says. "We also suggest that sufficient police and memTffec y tive S0UrCeS

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a n H W h r C , V e r C 0 U , r S e - i s adopted, we are concerned that adequate and realistic regulations are implemented to ensure that the preP A typical scene on a West St Kilda street corner. sent problems do not continue " Photo courtesy of The Herald.

Typical of the St Kilda massage parlours Photo courtesy of The Herald.

The four key speakers invited to the St Kilda Council's Forum include 1 representatives from the State Government, Victoria Police, Westaction and St 1 Kilda Council.

Mr Brian Dixon, Member for St Kilda, and Minister for Social Welfare, and | Youth, Sport and Recreation, will put the Government's viewpoint at the Forum. 1 The Chief Commis- j

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sioner of Police has been asked to nominate a representative to speak. Policemen from stations in the St Kilda area are also being inv i t e d to j o i n t h e audience at the Forum,

K The Hon. Brian Dixon.

Mr Colin Bell, Chairman of residents' action group, Westaction Photo courtesy of The Herald.

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Mr Graham Brad- j bury will be speaking on j behalf of residents' ac- j tion group, Westaction, I which has been pressing for prohibition of massage parlours in residential areas for some time.

After the key speakers have addressed the meeting, a question and answer session will be held for about an hour.

Groups invited to . p a r t i c i p a t e in the Forum i n c l u d e the Police A s s o c i a t i o n , Dalgety St Community G r o u p , F i t z r o y St Traders Association, r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of Prahran, South Melbourne and Caulfield Councils.

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social worker, will be putting St Kilda Council'^ cas^ to the meeting.

Cr Helen Halliday

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THESE ARE THE TROUBLE SPOTS

The area most affected by street walkers and gutter crawlers in St Kilda is the area circled on the map bound by Acland, Robe and Fitzroy Streets.

It is in these areas where residents complain of being accosted when walking home; unruly behaviour, continual traffic in the streets and litter.

As well as this area of West St Kilda, there are also massage parlours throughout the municipality — as shown by the dots on the map.

TRAFFIC COUNT ON GUTTER CRAWLERS The St Kilda Council has carried out traffic surveys in the Church Square/St Leonard's Avenue area following complaints from residents.

It was found that the maximum traffic flow occured between 8.00 pm and 1.00 am at night, apparently caused by cars being driven continually around the street block.

The C o u n c i l has decided to carry out a traffic diversion experiment and proposes to erect barriers in Church Square at the comer of St Leonard's Avenue.

The scheme is currently being advertised and it is expected that the temporary barriers will be erected during

the l a t t e r part o f November.

If the experiment is acceptable to local residents, the Council will apply to the Government for a permanent closure.

Other traffic counts recently undertaken by the Council in Robe Street highlight the problem of gutter crawlers.

Taken over a 24 hour period a total of 6,940 vehicles passed through the street.

Peak traffic flows occured at 12 noon and

DRUG FILM Previously unseen highlights from a film made by the ABC's Ian Meldrum and shown recently on national television, will be screened prior to the start of the Forum.

The film has been obtained by the residents' action group, Westaction, and will be screened at 1.30 pm. It runs for about 15 minutes.

Page 4 — St Kilda

Today

9.00 pm during weekdays with figures as high as 590 vehicles in one hour — that's approximately one every six seconds.

I

Mayor to Chair Forum

The Community Forum to discuss the effects of prostitution, drugs and other social problems of the people of St Kilda will be chaired by Cr Brian Zouch, Mayor of St Kilda.

Cr Zouch has been a leading opponent of massage parlours in residential areas and recently appeared on ABC television's Monday Conference during a debate on legalisation of prostitution.

Cr Zouch has been Mayor of St Kilda three times and is a former editor of local newspaper, The Southern Cross. He now runs his own publishing business.

Councillor Brian Zouch, Mayor of St Kilda, who will chair the Forum. Photo courtesy of The Herald.

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