Victoria (VIC), Australia’s most densely populated state, has a diverse population of 6.6 million people comprising over 30 percent immigrants and numerous indigenous communities.
Many consider Victoria to be the cultural epicentre of Australia, as it is home to vintage stores and coffee in Brunswick, historic sporting events at the Melbourne cricket ground, and a rich history including that of the Ned Kelly gang.
But what is Victoria’s approach to prostitution? Is sex work legal in VIC? Or is such a profession considered illegal and immoral?
In this article, we’ll delve into the history of Victoria’s sex industry, as well as the laws and regulations which currently govern this Australian state.
Prostitution is broadly considered the world’s oldest profession, although it has seldom been practiced without reprisal or penalty throughout history in most parts of the world. Victoria is no exception, having made prostitution illegal alongside the state’s founding in 1851 through vagrancy laws, with a possible penalty of imprisonment for up to 12 months.
Then, in 1878, The Conservation of Public Health Act required that women considered to be prostitutes could be required to undergo medical examination, with the possibility of detention in a lock hospital if they test positive for a venereal or sexually transmissible disease.
The early twentieth century saw the introduction of the Police Offences Act 1907, which prohibited brothel keeping and living off prostitution. From this point, Victoria’s sex work laws remained largely the same, although the enforcement of these laws was inconsistently applied. Additionally, sex workers in VIC would skirt the legislation by labelling themselves as ‘massage parlours’ which was de facto legalised due to the virtually nonexistent policing of those venues.
However, the community, as well as law enforcement, wanted greater clarity over brothels–without having intent to penalise them–and so the Working Party, in 1983, recommended that ‘brothels…be accepted as a legitimate land use subject to town planning regulations.’
This eventually gave rise to the Planning (Massage Parlours) Bill 1984, which was quickly renamed the Planning (Brothels) Bill 1984, and made brothels with planning permits legal. The shift away from a punitive approach and toward one of regulation and visibility was very radical at the time, although it received broad support from the public.
Then, finally, in February 2022, Victoria passed the Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2021, which abolished street-based sex work offences and removed the licensing requirements for those within the industry.
As of 1 December 2023, The Victorian Sex Work Decriminalisation Act has been in effect, rendering sex work and prostitution legal in Victoria.
This means that regardless of whether you’re in Melbourne, or suburbs like Carlton, South Yarra, Southbank, Richmond, or regional cities like Geelong, Bendigo or Shepparton, you can enjoy the full suite of sexual services in Victoria.
It also means that whether you’re into Brothels, escorts, male escorts, massage studios or transsexuals in Victoria, you can now enjoy these services without fear of reprisal.
This puts Victoria alongside other progressive parts of the world, including countries like New Zealand and Belgium, and other Australian jurisdictions like New South Wales and Queensland who have decriminalised or legalised sex work.
By decriminalising prostitution, Victoria’s sex workers can begin to enjoy similar rights to those in every other industry in Australia, giving them access to healthcare, fairer working conditions and access to police intervention without fear of reprisal.
While many parts of Australia have yet to legalise sex work, Victoria is one place where you can now enjoy the company of a Melbourne escort, a male escort, a trans escort or any other variety of sex worker you like–regardless of whether you’re a local or visitor.
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.
And if you’re headed to parliament, don’t forget to stop by some escorts in Canberra.
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