Queensland massage parlours are more frequently offering illegal prostitution, causing hardship in the licensed brothel sector.
Prostitution Licensing Authority chairman Walter Tutt says the proliferation of false massage parlours is a contributor to the decline in licensed brothels, with the end of June seeing just 20 licensed brothels.
Tutt says in the PLA’s latest annual report, while there are legitimate remedial and therapeutic massage clinics in Queensland, many are merely a front for illegal prostitution which must be addressed, despite the difficulty in acquiring necessary evidence to secure a conviction.