Sex worker who paid taxes told by bank to take business elsewhere

A sex worker has been informed her bank accounts would be closed because of the ‘risks associated in certain industries or professions’.

Charlie Forde, 30, has been banking with NAB (National Australia Bank) for over a year and was very clear about what she did for work when opening an account.
‘When I went into their branch initially I was very open with them,’ Ms Forde informed Australian media

‘I told them that I worked within the adult industry and they were really supportive of it at the time, the manager said there would be no problem with that.’
The support however didn’t last and just recently Ms Forde received a letter in the mail that said: ‘NAB regularly reviews the risks to the bank associated with providing banking services to customers involved in certain industries or professions’.

Ms Forde she was appalled to received the letter and said it was ‘crazy’ to think this ‘level of discrimination’ occurs over a job that is legal in Australia.
Ms Forde stated it was demoralising having NAB look at her business and have them decide she was not allowed to run the business. ‘It’s very offensive to me because I pay taxes, just like everybody else.’

Prostitution in Australia is governed by state and territory laws, which vary considerably. Sex workers are required to register with the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS). In 2016, UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS) estimated there were around 20,500 sex workers in the country