Queensland, Australia, Decriminalizes Sex Work

Chapter 22A (Prostitution) of the Criminal Code 1899 only allowed sex work to be conducted in licensed brothels or by independent, private sex workers. Sex workers who worked in a group or in a public setting like soliciting on the street were at risk of being charged with a maximum penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment. Illegal sex workers were unable to report crimes committed against them to the police.

The new legislation allows for solicitation, advertising, and working in groups. This enables sex workers to operate without fear of prosecution and for issues or crimes committed against them to be reported to police. Additionally, the new law updated the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 to include protection for sex workers, ensuring that sex workers could not be discriminated against by hotels and accommodations for believing that guests would be using a room for sex work.