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National Forum 2023
8 November 2023 - 10 November 2023
On this page: About this year’s National Forum | Agenda
Registrations for the 2023 Scarlet Alliance National Forum have now closed.
The Scarlet Alliance National Forum is the annual national sex worker only conference. It provides an opportunity for sex workers to network, workshop, and make our voices heard. The National Forum is free for sex workers to attend and includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. You can read more about what the National Forum is here.
This year the Scarlet Alliance Annual General Meeting (AGM) is open to all attendees, including sex workers who aren’t members. However, only members have speaking and voting rights at the AGM.
Current and former sex workers who support Scarlet Alliance’s objectives are welcome, and attendees are required to follow our Safer Spaces policy.
This year the National Forum will be held on Gadigal land (Sydney) near the CBD. We only release full venue details to people who have registered and had their registration verified. We verify all registrations to ensure that attendance is sex worker only. This means that if you are not already known to us, we ask for information to confirm that you are a current or former sex worker, and may reach out to you for more information.
No online access this year
After reviewing the feedback from last year’s National Forum, the low takeup of the online access, and having researched the available venue options, we have made the decision to not offer live online access to the 2023 National Forum. The interactive nature of many workshops and presentations, combined with the lack of technical capacity in the venues we are able to use, means that we are unable to offer an appropriate hybrid event. Feedback on our hybrid access last year was clear that the online platform was not accessible, and did not allow for participation within the conference. A fully accessible hybrid event is currently beyond our staffing and financial capabilities.
Instead we will be seeking to record relevant sections of the National Forum and upload them to a member’s only section of the website.
Members unable to attend the AGM in person are still able to participate through electronic voting, and/or by nominating a proxy.
COVID-19 information
COVID-19 is still circulating in the community and can have devastating impacts to our communities, particularly those with pre-existing and/or chronic health conditions.
We ask that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days, have been in close contact to anyone who has tested positive, or if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, to not attend the National Forum.
We will be providing N95 masks (or similar) for attendees to use, but mask use is not mandatory.
Venue layout and accessibility information
This year’s venue is a large multi-use space that will have different areas set aside for different uses, including a balcony. It has moveable partitions that will allow us to configure the space and hold concurrent workshops, however this means that noise will be an issue. We encourage people with audio sensitives to bring earplugs and/or noise cancelling headphones; and for attendees to be mindful of their impact on others.
There are 2 single person soundproof booths that will be for use by people who need to utilise supports (such as a phone counsellor). There are also cafes and a park nearby for people who need a “time out” from the conference space.
SWOP NSW is also located a 700m walk from the conference venue and will have a quiet space and peer workers available for support.
There are two lifts to the venue that will allow people with mobility needs to access the conference, and the space is wheelchair accessible with accessible toilets onsite.
We will provide a floor plan and full venue information to confirmed registrants. If you need further venue information in order to determine if you are able to attend, please contact us at info@scarletalliance.org.au.
Day 1: Wednesday 8 November
11.00-11:30am
Registration and morning tea
11:30-12:00pm
Welcome to Country
12:00-12:35pm
Welcome and Housekeeping
12:35-1:35pm
Reports from WA, QLD, NT and TAS, and Q&A
1:35-2:35pm
Lunch
2:35-3:35pm
Consent Law Reform – steps to consensus
3:35-4pm
Afternoon Tea
4-5pm
Workshops
- The digital wallet 101: Skillshare on deposits & banking options
- Building Worker Cooperatives with Sex Workers
- Interrupting criminalisation
5-5:15pm
Day Wrap Up
6-9pm
Fly in Power Film Screening and panel at the Red Rattler
Please note this event is open to the public and requires registration.
Day 2: Thursday 9 November
National Training Project Skillshare
10:30-12:00pm
Workshops
- Joys of Resistance: A Skillshare for Anti-Fascist Whores and Antifa-Curious Sex Workers
- Best Practice Approaches for Peer Organisation Ugly Mug Lists
- Tricking Tricks: more from the Sick Sad Whores
12-12:30pm
Morning tea
12:30-1:30pm
Reports from NSW, ACT, SA and VIC, and Q&A
1:30-2:30pm
Lunch
2:30-3:30pm
Workshops
- Preserving whorestories: Forming a community sex work archive
- Disabled Sex Workers Roundtable
3:30-4pm
Afternoon Tea
4:00-5.15pm
Workshops
- Grief work
- Maintaining Community Values and Refuting the NGO Industrial Complex
5.15-5.25pm
Report from Touching Base
5.25-5.40pm
Day Wrap Up
7pm-midnight
Sex worker only party at the Bearded Tit in Redfern
Includes the annual Whore Of The Year awards and performances at 8pm
Day 3: Friday 10 November
Peer supervisors network
Please note this is being held at a separate location in Newtown, venue in info kit.
11-12pm
Public rally
Sex workers and allies, being held at the Hub in Newtown.
12:30-1pm
National Training Program Graduation
1-2pm
Lunch
2-3pm
Workshops:
1. Sex worker research update
2. Rank and File Union Organising: Reigniting the Question
3-5pm
Annual General Meeting with afternoon tea
5-5:30pm
National Forum wrap-up and closing remarks