SYDNEY, Australia – Even as the government seeks to enact a law that would drastically reduce the size of the country's adult entertainment industry, the recently created Australian Sex Party said this week that a recession would engender a burgeoning demand for novelties and adult films.
Economic experts anticipate guilty pleasures-like sex toys and gambling-remaining a strong market sector, even as the rest of the nation fumbles. That's because consumers tend to reduce spending on major luxuries like trips abroad and 4-star dining, but to prevent a sense of deprivation, maintain or increase spending on small indulgences.
"Some adult shops are saying business has never been better. Some retailers are saying when people start to worry about their finances, and they're worrying about the economy, they go and buy a vibrator or an adult film," Australian Sex Party leader Fiona Patten told the Sydney Morning Herald. "While they're cutting out going to dinner and going to the movies, they're popping into an adult shop. We're a cheap luxury that can make you feel good."
Despite Patten's optimistic predictions, the Reserve Bank of Australia showed that September demonstrated the slowest growth yet on record, and economists suspect a recession is imminent.
Plus, a pending government project that would block pornographic websites could slash 16,000 jobs from the Australian adult industry.
"If they go ahead with what they propose, we'll wipe out the adult industry in the next five years," she says.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
