As they knock on the door, the women working in call-out adult entertainment know that it\u2019s hard to predict what awaits them. <\/p>\n
They hope that the men on the other side are not too drunk, or not too high. <\/p>\n
They double check the booking on a whatsapp text, and re-examine the copy of the customer\u2019s ID that is usually required to confirm a booking. <\/p>\n
They text their friends, share their location, and take as many precautions as they can. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s still a risk. <\/p>\n
If the men at that house, or inside that hotel room have no respect for them, they could be in trouble. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls have rules about how they do it, they never go anywhere alone,\u201d adult star Annie Knight said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut if there\u2019s a six-foot-five guy there when you turn up to the booking and it\u2019s only two of you then girls can get into situations that are really scary.\u201d <\/p>\n
The call-out, in-home adult industry has come under the spotlight in the wake of the Sydney Swans scandal. <\/p>\n
Police are investigating claims from three women that sexual assaults occurred inside a room at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. <\/p>\n
The Pullman Five, as the players have become known, have denied any wrongdoing and are yet to be interviewed by police. <\/p>\n
But the risks highlighted by that incident are happening every weekend, and even weeknights, across Australia. <\/p>\n
Women working in the industry set strict boundaries when they arrive. <\/p>\n
They\u2019re not prudes, but there are lines that cannot be crossed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere can\u2019t be any confusion, when a girl arrives at a booking she sets out the rules,\u201d Ms Knight said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know of times when girls have been telling clients now and they just keep on trying it because they think so little of the women.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deposits are normally taken before the booking because sometimes men just don\u2019t show up. <\/p>\n
The rest is paid in cash, or a bank transfer like PayID through a phone number. <\/p>\n
Most customers prefer to pay cash, to avoid an awkward itemisation on their joint bank accounts.<\/p>\n
Bookings for adult entertainers to attend as topless waitresses are advertised for about $200 an hour, but beyond that, things are negotiable. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s for the booking, if they want something else like a lap dance, that\u2019s extra,\u201d Ms Knight said.<\/p>\n
Michael Trimble, who co-owns the Bar20 strip club in Melbourne, has concerns about the safety of women working for call-out agencies. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard about sexual assaults before at these jobs,\u201d Trimble said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA former dancer of mine says that when she reported a sexual assault to her agent, the agent dismissed her and continued to send other girls to the same address.\u201d <\/p>\n
There\u2019s little, if any, regulation around who can start an agency. <\/p>\n
Typically, all it requires is a phone number and a directory of potential entertainers who might be available for booking. <\/p>\n
Trimble wants greater scrutiny on call-out jobs and on the agents who profit from them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything can happen. There\u2019s no security there for the girls. It\u2019s up to them to protect themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girls are typically very outnumbered. It will be two or three girls among a whole bunch of guys and there is always drugs and alcohol going on at these things. Some of the people who run these agencies don\u2019t care where they\u2019re sending these girls to \u2026 whether it\u2019s some sort of clubhouse or a hotel full of footy players\u201d Trimble explains. <\/p>\n
Unlike call-out agencies, Trimble says his business must operate under very strict conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a liquor license fee \u2013 which includes our strip club conditions- of more than $40,000 a year just for the privilege of providing this service in a controlled environment.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to have a certain number of security guards on at all times and we must have CCTV. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we breach conditions too many times, we can lose our license. These agencies have absolutely no accountability whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trimble wants more oversight on call-out agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no licensing. There\u2019s no background checks. There\u2019s no requirements. They\u2019re just sending girls out there- into potentially hostile environments and just hoping everything\u2019s going to be OK.\u201d <\/p>\n
Owner and founder of the Australian Adult Industry Awards, Maxine Fensom, heard about the August 17 Swans scandal from her base in Las Vegas. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had my business for over 30-years so obviously I\u2019ve seen the whole gamut of the good, the bad and the ugly,\u201d Fensom said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was pretty bad actually. I think the boys\u2019 behaviour was pretty awful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fensom said exotic dancers often walked into rooms where men were drunk and felt \u201cthey can do whatever they want\u201d. <\/p>\n
And a \u201cprivate show\u201d booking for dancers to arrive at 5am \u2013 as was made by the Swans players \u2013 rang alarm bells. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the worst time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s had too much to drink; they\u2019re tired, so it\u2019s not what I would do. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t even answer the phone.\u201d <\/p>\n
Most \u201cshows\u201d went off without a hitch, she said, but it just took one client to overstep the mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just takes one dickhead to wreck it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Regarding touching, Fensom said there were off-limits areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou definitely can\u2019t be touching no-go areas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But Fensom said she was aware adult entertainers were accepting payment to be slapped on the buttocks adding: \u201cI don\u2019t even understand it to be honest, but I\u2019ve heard like $50 a slap and the girls have very sore bottoms afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s been going on for a bit.\u201d <\/p>\n
As for touching breasts, she said most adult entertainers allowed it although she did not encourage the practice.<\/p>\n
Clients included bands, singers, politicians and sports stars. <\/p>\n
The Swans incident itself did not surprise her. <\/p>\n
\u201cI guess they had a lot to celebrate. I think they were probably just in the moment \u2026 not really thinking about consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Fensom said she wanted to see the women\u2019s allegations tested in a criminal court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any excuse for this type of behaviour and apparently they locked one of the girls out of the room and she was naked and (they) thought it was funny, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s funny at all. I think it\u2019s abusive,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
As for the players allegedly angling for a discount, Fensom said she couldn\u2019t fathom it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you say that you\u2019re a carpenter? Carpenters make great money first of all, but why would you try and dodge money when you\u2019re making so much money?<\/p>\n
\u201cI just find that really rude.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s their upbringing or just their misogynistic attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone like me needs to go and speak to them and tell them how to treat people and how to treat women properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause seriously, (these women) are like everybody else. They\u2019re accepting a job, and I know what that job entails, but it doesn\u2019t mean they have to be pushed into a hallway naked, sexually abused, laughed at, lied to, or cheated out of their money.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s shit behaviour\u201d. <\/p>\n
She said the positive side of the industry was watching women set themselves up financially, often educating themselves and buying property.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As they knock on the door, the women working in call-out adult entertainment know that it\u2019s hard 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