Provides a history of prostitution in Australia from before European colonisation, and situates this history within an international context of labour migration and policy formation. This work draws on archival research and interviews to chart the ways in which prostitution contributed to women's economic survival and to colonisation.



This is the only such book to be attempted in Australia. It covers over 200 years of history, and includes discussion of sexual exchange in Australia prior to European colonisation. It is relevant to the whole of Australia as well as having a strong international dimension: the content is based on extensive research from archives in all Australian capital cities as well as London and Geneva and draws on oral interviews with women over a period of more than 25 years. It makes extensive use of narratives, individual life stories and the 'voices' of prostitutes to construct an engaging, accessible text.""Selling Sex"" provides the first comprehensive history of prostitution in Australia from before European colonisation to the present, and situates this history within an international context of labour migration and policy formation. It draws on extensive archival research and interviews to chart the ways in which prostitution contributed not just to women's economic survival but also to broader processes of colonisation and nation-building.