Queensland introduces controversial new law that will change the way sex workers are policed
Controversial new law that will change how sex workers are monitored – Australian state admits prostitution defeated
- Queensland decriminalizes sex work
- It will be regulated as business
Sex work is about to be decriminalized and regulated in Queensland with a major shake-up promising to take the industry ‘out of the dark’ and make it safer for those in the profession.
Attorney General Shannon Fentiman confirmed that the government would use findings from a Queensland Law Reform Commission report as a springboard to review current laws.
Until the new law is passed, only two forms of sex work will be legal in the Sunshine State: providing services in a licensed brothel, and when a person works alone from premises, providing in-house or outcall services, or both.
All other forms are illegal – including escort agencies, unlicensed brothels, massage parlors, street workers soliciting in public, and people working in small groups.
The illegal forms of sex work currently make up the majority of services.
Attorney General Shannon Fentiman confirmed that the government would use findings from a Queensland Law Reform Commission report as a springboard to review current laws
Sex work will be decriminalized and regulated in Queensland following a major change that will take it ‘out of the dark’ and make it much safer for its workers
“Current laws stigmatize sex workers, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation and violence,” Ms Fentiman told 7 News.
“We need to bring sex work out of the dark and properly regulate the industry, especially for worker safety.”
The Queensland government has committed to decriminalizing the sex work industry by April 2022, with the commission’s findings paving the way for a regulatory framework.
That framework will have a major focus on the safety of sex workers.
Proponents of decriminalization argue that existing regulations have made sex work more unsafe by prohibiting women from working in pairs or employing someone to screen and book clients and provide job security.
The Queensland Government has committed to decriminalizing the sex work industry by April 2022 and the commission’s completed review findings have paved the way for a regulatory framework
The Queensland Government is expected to consult with local government before finalizing the new laws.
The commission is said to have made 47 recommendations, most of which have not yet been made public.
One of the proposed laws would allow individual sex workers to work from their homes, as long as they have received permission from the council.
The change would essentially allow sex workers to work like any other home business.