Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
As you are no doubt aware, the Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 is to commence on a date to be fixed. I can now tell you that date is the 1 August 2024.
This means from 1 August 2024 the Prostitution Licensing Authority (the Authority) and the licensing system will be abolished. From that date, sex work in Queensland will be regulated like any other business.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, and Minister for Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Yvette D’Ath MP, has directed us to:
- refund in full all fees paid to the Authority from 9 May 2024 until commencement; and
- refund on a pro rata basis all fees paid to the Authority prior to 9 May 2024.
We are currently calculating the refund to be paid to licensees and managers and will soon be contacting individual licence and manager certificate holders about how these refunds will be processed. We hope to process as many of these refunds as practicable by the end of July. After the 1 August 2024 commencement and the abolition of the Authority, any refunds not yet made will be performed by the Queensland Government (through the Department of Justice and Attorney-General).
Further information on changes around work health and safety for sex work and updates to the planning framework will be provided under Office of Industrial Relations and Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works arrangements, respectively.
On behalf of the Authority members and staff, please accept our thanks and appreciation for the way licensees, managers and sex workers have assisted in delivering a safe licensed sector during the last 25 years and our best wishes for the industry into the future.
Yes. If you are a sex worker working in a licensed brothel, you must continue to get a medical examination or test (sexual health check) every 3 months.
Yes. If you are a brothel licensee or an approved manager, you must continue to renew your licence or certificate.
Yes. You must continue to follow the advertising guidelines.
If there is an emergency, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
If you think someone is breaching the rules for licensed brothels or the advertising guidelines, please contact the Prostitution Licensing Authority.
For all other reports, please contact the Queensland Police Service.