Chairperson's Address

Welcome to the Prostitution Licensing Authority (PLA)

The PLA was created to implement the Prostitution Act 1999, which came into operation on 1 July 2000. Under the legislation, brothels that have been granted a licence from the PLA can operate legally in Queensland. As a consequence of introducing the Prostitution Act there are two legal forms of prostitution in Queensland – private/sole operators and licensed brothels.

The prostitution legislation has been designed to limit the incidence of sexually transmissible infections, to ensure the safety of sex workers, to seek to avoid the exploitation of those workers and to minimise the incidence of official corruption in the sex industry. These objectives have been foremost in the minds of the PLA members as the legislation has been implemented; the policies and systems in place at the PLA are solely intended to facilitate their achievement.

This website is intended to present a range of information about:

• the PLA
• the process for appealing decisions of local authorities about development applications for brothels
• the legal framework for prostitution in Queensland
• rules for advertising prostitution in Queensland
• how to apply for a brothel licence or an approved manager’s certificate
• making a complaint about prostitution to the PLA.

I hope the information contained in these pages will be useful to you. The staff at the PLA are available during business hours to answer any questions you may have about the Prostitution Act.

Manus Boyce Q.C.
Chair