Twenty brothels across Australia were contacted by the Sunday Tribune, most of which admitted to hiring Irish girls under 25-years-old. Two brothels in Perth, Club 316 and Langtrees, said they had Irish girls rostered to work there.

The manager of Impressions in Sydney said five Irish students were rostered to work in the brothel the morning they were contacted, and Gotham City brothel in Melbourne has an Irish-speaking prostitute advertised on its website.

A backpacker from Co Galway, who travelled to Australia last summer said finding work in brothels was an "easy" way to make good money. She maintains that brothels in Australia offer a safe working environment and said, "Some days we made more than $1,000 ( 600), for a four-hour shift".

"It is not necessary for prostitutes to register themselves, " said Janelle Fawkes, manager of the Scarlet Alliance, a statefunded Australian sex workers association. This means Irish girls are getting, "cash in hand, upfront, before servicing their client".

Kings Cross, in the heart of Sydney, is a popular destination for many Irish backpackers. It is full of cheap hostels and Irish pubs, all of which are close to the numerous adult shops and brothels that line its streets. Many of the nightclubs and brothels in Sydney's 'sleaziest district' draw backpackers in by offering cheap, late-night drinks, and it is here that young girls are introduced to brothel managers who offer them work as prostitutes.

Although Fawkes claims that "prostitution is safe", Geraldine Rowley, spokesperson for Ruhama, an Irish organisation that works with women involved in prostitution, warns Irish students that prostitution in Australia is still dangerous. She said that there is still the threat of STDs and violence. "It is only making businessmen out of pimps.

They are still exploiting women."