Six o'clock closing and the growth of prostitution in Sydney, 1916-27

The New South Wales government’s introduction of the Early Closing Act in 1916 was a legislative move designed to curb the growing culture of vice-related crime across the state. Instead, the period between 1916 and 1927 saw rampant growth in crime - largely prostitution. Qualitative exploration of the issue indicates that the quasi-prohibition of alcohol led to the establishment of ‘sly-grog’ houses; these venues of illicit trade provided sex workers with a location in which to practice their trade under the protection of organised criminal syndicates and corrupt elements of New South Wales law enforcement