An Australian filmmaker is taking a bit of stick over his plan to make a documentary in which participants auction their virginity, Oz's Daily Telegraph reports.

Justin Sisely has recruited a veritable venal* of male and female virgins for the "new low" in reality TV, which will see initial bids taken online, before a face-to-face sell-off in a Nevada brothel.

Sisely has relocated the project to the States because his native Melbourne didn't much warm to the idea. The Victorian government warned him he faced prostitution charges if he went ahead and flogged virgins on his native soil.

Each virgin gets AU$20,000, and 90 per cent of the winning bid. The other 10 per cent goes to the brothel kindly hosting the final auction.

Among those willing to take the plunge in return for cash is a 21-year-old Sydney lass, hiding behind the pseudonym Veronica, who admitted her parents were furious when they found out about the deal.

She justified: "I can hopefully change the way people think about sex in society and, you know, I can benefit from it financially."

Fellow lot Alex, 20, explained he'd "applied as a way of meeting someone", while another, Ronan, said he was "sick of waiting for the right girl and would consider any offers".

The Daily Telegraph has more, and a video interview with "Veronica", right here. ®

Bootnote

*Our new collective noun for cash-hungry virgins.