Victorian sex workers have been waiting decades for a funded peer-only organisation run by and for our community. Today we are proud and excited to announce that Vixen Collective, Victoria’s peer-only sex worker organisation, will be funded with auspicing by Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association, the national peak body for sex workers and sex worker organisations, to provide essential peer education, support, outreach, advocacy and representation for sex workers in Victoria.
Funded peer-led sex worker organisations are essential for advancing the rights and wellbeing of sex workers, because we are uniquely equipped to understand, support, and respond to the issues we face in our work and lives. Vixen Collective has been run by sex workers on an unfunded basis since its founding in 2005. Together with Scarlet Alliance, Vixen Collective has advocated fiercely over many years for funding for a peer-led sex worker organisation in Victoria, as exists in most other states and territories in Australia. This will ensure greater access to support, resources, services, and rights for all Victorian sex workers and the effective implementation of critical sex work reforms.
Vixen Collective and Scarlet Alliance have been approached by the Victorian Department of Health to submit a proposal for funding for vital support and outreach for the Victorian sex worker community, and this has been accepted. Through auspicing, Scarlet Alliance will support Vixen in becoming an independent funded peer organisation; a process which Scarlet Alliance has previously completed together with SIN in South Australia in 2019.
The Vixen recruitment process will begin from today and will remain open until COB Friday 4th of February, 2022. These roles will significantly increase Vixen’s capacity and improve Victorian sex workers access to support, referrals and advocacy. All positions are for an immediate start, with interviewing and training to begin in mid-February. There will be 16 roles offered initially, covering peer education and outreach, peer support and counselling, administration, policy, communication, and management. There will be dedicated roles for bilingual Mandarin, Thai, and Korean-speaking CALD project workers; Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander project workers; a trans and gender diverse project worker; a male project worker; street outreach project workers and brothel and private outreach. While the initial funding contract is for 6 months, and all positions are being offered for this period, it is our hope that this will be extended further. The position descriptions and application kits can be viewed here vixencollective.org/vacancies.
During the first three months of operations, Dylan O’Hara, the current Advocacy Coordinator of Vixen Collective, will be appointed the interim Acting Manager of Vixen. This decision was made in order to facilitate and support the successful implementation of the project during the initial transition phase given the tight time-frame of this funding contract. The Manager role will be advertised after two months, and an open recruitment process will take place in the month following.
Vixen Collective will become Vixen, and Vixen Collective’s Committee will become the Vixen Transition Committee. Vixen will relocate to share the office space of Harm Reduction Victoria, a peer-based community organisation for people who use drugs, who are supportive of this important opportunity for Victorian sex workers.Vixen and Scarlet Alliance look forward to continuing to work closely with the Victorian sex worker community, government and other stakeholders over the coming months during this exciting new phase for sex worker rights in Victoria!
A sex worker community information session on these exciting new developments and available positions will be held online on Friday 21st January, 2022 between 4pm-6pm. To attend please register HERE
For further information or comment please contact:
Jules Kim on ceo@scarletalliance.org.au or 0411985135
Dylan O’Hara on dylan@vixencollective.org or 0412368669
14/01/22