CONTROVERSIAL BILLBOARD - Sex sign comes down
 

CONTROVERSIAL Ballarat billboard featuring the word "sex" has been taken down.

The Little Bridge St sign was removed by the City of Ballarat yesterday in consultation with the billboard owners.

The council threatened to call in the police after it received more than 50 complaints about the sign, advertising a Brunswick brothel.

The brothel owner yesterday vowed to fight the move, saying the sign did not breach any laws.

The sign, featuring the slogan: "Sex. Chocolates and flowers not required", has been on display since early November.

The council sought legal advice from Nevett Ford and was advised that the sign breached the 1994 Prostitution Control Act.

Paul Stephens, from Nevett Ford, said Section 17 of the Act states that a person must not publish an advertisement for prostitution describing the services offered.

"The advertisement concerned is dominated by the word `sex'," Mr Stephens said.

"In my view, this clearly describes the services offered by the business."

City of Ballarat chief executive officer Richard Hancock said mediation talks between the council and billboard owner Australian Posters led to the removal of the sign.

But furious brothel owner Andrew Hewinson denied that the sign breached the Act and has set aside a fighting fund to challenge both the council and Australian Posters.

"I received an e-mail yesterday from Australian Posters saying that the signs in Ballarat and Beaufort were being removed today," Mr Hewinson said.

"No reason was given, but the whole situation is ludicrous.

"The council says I've broken the law but I haven't - the word sex has been in use for generations.

"They've applied enormous pressure on Australian Posters and I will be taking every course of legal action possible as I don't believe Ballarat City Council is representing the general feeling of its community."

William Albon, spokesman for the Australian Adult Entertainment Industry Association, labelled the City of Ballarat position as "outrageous".

"It's time Ballarat shed itself of its conservative image and started sharing the thinking of progressive councils in Melbourne," Mr Albon said.

"It's clearly discriminatory, as this advert complies with all governing regulation in Australia."