Home to more than four million people, Queensland’s (QLD) tropical climate is the perfect backdrop for exploring the state’s stunning natural landscapes including the Daintree Rainforest and the famed Great Barrier Reef.
In fact, of the eleven World Natural Heritage areas in Australia, Queensland has five of them. It’s this unique physical beauty of Queensland that attracts nearly fifty percent of its residents away from the metropolitan city of Brisbane and toward rural areas across the state; a ratio much higher than other Australian cities.
Evidently, there’s plenty to do and see in Queensland; but is seeing a prostitute included in that list?
In this article, we’ll explore whether prostitution is legal in Queensland, and whether you can see an escort in Queensland, go to a QLD brothel and more.
Let’s dive in.
Queensland, like most places on earth, did not always look favourably upon prostitution or prostitutes. However, instead of penalising sex workers via vagrancy laws as was often the case in other parts of Australia, Queensland’s restrictions upon sex workers were largely centred around health-related concerns, primarily in the form of sexually transmitted diseases.
In order to suppress the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the Queensland Government introduced the Contagious Diseases Act 1868, which received Royal Assent on 5 February 1868. The Act originated in the United Kingdom and was introduced throughout the colonies, declaring that any woman suspected of prostitution would be subject to compulsory periodical medical examination.
If that woman was found to be suffering from a contagious disease, she would be detained in a lock hospital for up to three months, with the possibility for an additional three months’ extension if deemed necessary by ‘any two medical men’. Should a woman refuse to be examined, she could face the penalty of imprisonment.
So, while prostitution was not itself illegal in Queensland during its establishment, QLD prostitutes faced particular conditions for their profession. These conditions became more stringent with the introduction of the Health Act Amendment Act 1911, which stated that any prostitute found working in a public place, or behaving in a ‘riotous, disorderly or indecent manner’, or anyone who ‘solicits or importunes for immoral purposes’ or is ‘knowingly living wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution’ will be deemed a vagrant and could face a penalty of up to fifty pounds and/or imprisonment for up to six months.
For the next few decades, the laws surrounding prostitution in Queensland would remain largely the same, with Queensland prostitutes forced to work in the shadows, while dealing with the looming threat of being thrown into a lock hospital.
Then, in 1987, the Fitzgerald Inquiry was released, which found that police were largely allowing the existence of brothels and other ‘vice dens’, in exchange for bribes. These findings sent shockwaves throughout Queensland’s political landscape, eventually giving rise to the Prostitution Laws Amendment Act 1992 and the Prostitution Act 1999.
While these acts sought to introduce more clarity around regulations and enforcement of regulations surrounding the sex industry in Queensland, the 1999 Act introduced a licensing system which allowed for the legal existence of brothels. However, many sex workers and advocates of the adult industry in QLD argued that the new licensing model still placed many barriers upon Brisbane sex workers when compared to more traditional industries.
Yes, prostitution is now legal in Queensland. Following a 2023 review into sex work by the Queensland Law Reform Commission, as well as decades of lobbying by advocates of the industry, Queensland parliament passed legislation decriminalising sex work across the state, abolishing the licensing model in the process. The legislation came into effect on 2 August 2024.
So, if someone asks you whether prostitution is legal in Queensland, you can tell them Yes! It’s been legal since August 2024.
As of August 2024, Queensland has decriminalised prostitution and joined other progressive parts of the world, including countries like New Zealand and Belgium, and other Australian jurisdictions like New South Wales.
By decriminalising prostitution, Queensland’s sex workers can now begin to advertise their services (with some restrictions), comfortably approach law enforcement if they face any threats or discomfort at work from patrons or their employers, and many other rights afforded to non-sex-industry workers.
Equally, by decriminalising prostitution, Queensland has helped to remove some of the stigma which surrounds sex work, which has helped to keep the industry in the shadows, alongside other criminal activity.
While many parts of Australia have yet to legalise sex work, Queensland is one place where you can now enjoy a Brisbane escort or brothel, a male escort or transsexual, regardless of whether you’re a local or visitor.
And, as the legislation is statewide, that means you can enjoy these services wherever you live, including the Gold Coast, Townsville, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane City or any other part of this beautiful state.
Alternatively, if you want to head elsewhere in Australia and you’re still keen on seeing a sex worker, New South Wales was actually the first jurisdiction in the world to decriminalise sex work–so you might want to check out our guide to hiring a Sydney escort, or our article on the 10 best Sydney brothels for some ways to unwind in this iconic state.
If you’re headed to the cultural epicentre of the country, you can explore our range of Melbourne escorts, and if you’re headed to parliament, don’t forget to stop by some escorts in Canberra.
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