Touching Base Newsletter June 2024

Catch up with our latest news from the team at Touching Base with our second newsletter for the year.

New team members

Since our last update, we have welcomed on board a few new team members: Oliver is our new Referral List Officer and Ally has taken over the Referral List Database Manager role.

We have also welcomed Melanie Hawkes as our newest Committee member

Sex work decriminalized in Queensland

A victory led by sex worker activists
Queensland has achieved a landmark victory for sex workers’ rights with the decriminalisation of the industry. This momentous occasion is a testament to the tireless efforts and unwavering courage of local sex worker activists and their supporters.

DecrimQLD Campaign Leader, Janelle Fawkes, said: “Sex work is work and the framework set out in this Bill both repeals criminalisation and provides protections for sex workers.”

After the new laws come into effect on the 1st August 2024, sex workers will be able to operate without fear of being set up by entrapment techniques by law enforcement, a crucial step towards ensuring their safety and well-being.

This progressive reform aligns Queensland with global best practices and empowers sex workers to take control of their careers and safety. It’s a significant step towards a more just and equitable society. Touching Base sends our congratulations to the local sex worker activists who led the charge for this historic victory!

Lobbying

It was a big month lobbying with the NDIS Workers and Providers Registration Taskforce, including:

• Collating and analysing our Survey results
• a successful meeting with the Taskforce Chair and
• our detailed submission was sent by the extended deadline

Our arguments were primarily aimed to protect sex workers from harm from any proposed registration scheme, and in doing so ensure ongoing choice and control for NDIS participants.

The Chair, Natalie Wade, has publicly acknowledged the Taskforce will be recommending registration only apply to disability specific services. This means that sex workers are not likely to be captured by registration for disability specific services, if the government accepts the Taskforce’s recommendation.

We also put in a shorter submission to the Senate Inquiry into NDIS Act Proposed Changes. Many thanks to Rose, Emma and Katia from Scarlet Alliance for their assistance with all that work.

Also thanks to our friends at Scarlet Alliance and SWOP NT, as Touching Base has been included in the list of referrals in The Workplace Health and Safety Guidelines for the sex industry in the Northern Territory, which are currently under development.

In person SPAT workshop held in Canberra

Emma and Jill recently travelled to the capital to deliver a one day in-person Service Provider Awareness Training (SPAT) workshop. Many thanks to Brendan Taber, Executive Manager – Ageing and Disability at Meridian ACT for hosting this successful one day training in Canberra.

PDAT discount – refund offer for eligible participants

It has come to our attention that between January 2017 and December 2023 we failed to offer sex worker members of Touching Base a discount on registration to attend our Professional Disability Awareness Training (PDAT) workshop.

We deeply regret this oversight and apologise to current and former sex worker members of Touching Base who were eligible to receive this discount but did not get the offer!

To remedy the situation we are offering sex workers who were members of Touching Base when they attended a PDAT workshop between January 2017 and December 2023 the opportunity to seek a 10% refund on the workshop fee you paid. If you are a current or former sex worker member of Touching Base – who is eligible and would like to take up this 10% refund offer – please follow this link to a form to provide your name, email and bank account details so we can make a direct deposit of the 10% PDAT refund into your bank account.

If you are eligible but would like to turn down this offer of a discount refund – simply do nothing and the Touching Base Team thanks you for your generosity!

Privacy Note: Immediately after we deposit the refund into your chosen account by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) we will delete the bank account details you provided when filling out the linked form.

Helping Touching Base Maintain a Clean Email Record

This is really important so please consider how you can help Touching Base to ensure our emails land in inboxes and not spam folders.

Member Action:

• Check your Spam folder regularly: Make a habit of checking your spam folder periodically. Emails from Touching Base might accidentally be flagged as spam.
• Mark Not Spam: If you find a legitimate email from Touching Base in your spam folder, mark it as “Not Spam” or “Important.” This helps train your email provider to recognise future emails from us as legitimate.

Benefits for Touching Base:

• Increased Open Rates: By reducing the number of emails sent to spam folders, Touching Base can ensure our messages reach a wider audience and have a higher chance of being opened.
• Improved Sender Reputation: When you mark emails as “Not Spam,” it improves Touching Base’s sender reputation with email providers. This can help future emails land directly in inboxes instead of spam folders.

Additional Tips:

• Please add Touching Base to Address Book: Adding Touching Base’s generic email address gsuite@touchingbase.org to your address book can also help ensure our emails bypass spam filters.

By following these steps, members can play a vital role in helping Touching Base maintain a clean email record and ensure our messages reach their intended audience.

Thanks in advance for your help from the Team at Touching Base!