This briefing paper examines the significant disconnect between Australian Border Force (ABF) policy statements1, and the lived experience of Asian migrant sex workers during ‘workplace compliance operations’ or raids. Based on 23 reported raids in 2025 alone (19 in Naarm/Metro Melbourne, 9 in Northern Territory), this document contrasts ABF claims with first-hand accounts from sex workers and peer educators, as reported to Scarlet Alliance and member organisation Vixen.

The evidence demonstrates that current ABF operations create systemic barriers to justice, compromise worker safety, cause significant economic harm, and undermine the very protections they claim to uphold. These militarised compliance visits bear no resemblance to workplace inspections in other industries and represent discriminatory enforcement targeting sex work specifically.