Sex whilst on the Rocks Melbourne City Council to resume practice of paying for prostitutes in the name of research

It is against the law and a questionable act of deceit but Melbourne City Council, whilst facing cut backs and a possible further increase in direct and indirect taxes, will consider resumption of the past practice and pay for services of illegal prostitution all in the “name of research“.

Melbourne City Council earlier this year came under criticism when employees of the City Council were found to have claimed expenses of services of sex workers in fulfillment of their duties. The Council’s CEO David Pitchford said that this expense was necessary in order for Council staff and contractors to obtain inside information on the sex trade within the city borders.

It is unclear if past or current Councillors have also claimed such expenses when visiting overseas cities or if the costs were included in Council’s hotel bills. (One trip to St Petersburg involved the City Council paying expenses for a city councillor well over $800 a night for accommodation meals and services. The costs went unreported due to the City Council not having remitted all expenses related to the ex-City Councillor’s Mid-night-sun-tour of the sex capital of Eastern Europe.)

Serious questions are being asked about the council applying tactics in the gathering of evidence that will not stand up in a court of law and in the process leave the council open to allegations of abuse and misuse of limited resources.

The City Council will decide the question of resumption of Council sex worker funding next week. Source: ABC Online News