{"id":23794,"date":"2013-02-14T15:58:57","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T05:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=23794"},"modified":"2020-09-28T11:35:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T01:35:49","slug":"fifos-blamed-for-rise-in-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/02\/14\/fifos-blamed-for-rise-in-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"FiFos Blamed For Rise In Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

January 14, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott has blamed fly-in, fly-out mining workers for an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in his electorate.<\/p>\n

He said the “new demographics” in Maranoa presented unique challenges and were luring prostitutes to local towns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat goes on behind closed doors is your business but let me take you on a tour of the local newspapers in my electorate,” Mr Scott said.<\/p>\n

“\u2018Misty\u2019s first time to the Surat Basin\u2019 advertisement started to appear in Maranoa newspapers about six months ago. It was one ad but now she is flanked by numerous ads in the personal classifieds section.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile prostitution is regulated, the lure of lucrative mining communities means illegal prostitution activities are increasing with people taking chances with their sexual health.”<\/p>\n

Mr Scott said he feared sexual health in the bush was not being taken seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night I called on the government to fund education programs in the bush promoting sexual health because the earlier a sexually transmitted infection is detected and treated, the less damage is done to your body,\u201d Mr Scott said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe statistics are shocking. The reported cases of gonorrhoea in Queensland have more than doubled in four years with 2878 cases in 2011.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Scott said sexually transmissible infections were predominately contracted through unsafe sexual practices and can show no symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the Grim Reaper commercials 25 years ago but we now know HIV\/ AIDS and SDIs don\u2019t discriminate and can slither into any societal group,\u201d Mr Scott said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Maranoa electorate a new demographic has emerged with its own unique challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been reported that a mix of a large disposable income and boredom means fly-in-fly-out mine workers could be responsible for the increase in cases of STIs in mining towns … in mining towns in my electorate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile FIFO is not a working holiday, it can encourage a disconnection from \u2018normal\u2019 restraints and behaviour patterns.”<\/p>\n

Mr Scott said the statistics were alarming and action needed to be taken before sexually transmitted diseases become an epidemic.<\/p>\n