Applause as Vic sex work law reforms pass

The Victorian parliament has passed laws to decriminalise sex work, joining two other Australian jurisdictions, to the applause of MPs and advocates.

Following hours of debate on Thursday, the upper house voted 24 to 10 in favour of a bill to repeal offences and criminal penalties for consensual sex work between adults.

There were cheers and applause in the chamber when the final vote tally was read out with the Labor government garnering the support of 10 crossbenchers.

The opposition voted against the bill.

The Sex Work Decriminalisation Act 2021 will partially abolish street-based sex work offences and associated public health offences, remove a licensing system and regulate the industry through existing agencies.

The proposed reforms also strengthen anti-discrimination protections, making it unlawful to deny sex workers accommodation.

Victoria is the third jurisdiction in the country to decriminalise sex work after New South Wales in 1995 and the Northern Territory in 2019.

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten, a former sex worker who led Victoria’s review into decriminalising the industry, said the reforms were long overdue.

“This bill is for everyone who has been working under these draconian laws that have not protected us,” she said during the upper house debate.

Sex Work Law Reform Victoria spokesperson Matthew Roberts said the new laws mean sex workers no longer need to fear going to the police if something goes wrong.

However, the proposed laws will create a new offence preventing street-based sex work from being carried out near schools, care services and places of worship between 6am and 7pm and on holidays.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy suggested the bill would “open up every suburban street, every suburban house to be … a brothel” – a claim rubbished by advocates.

Scarlet Alliance chief executive Jules Kim said the intent of the reforms was to treat sex work like any other industry.

The bill will now return to the lower house where the government has an overwhelming majority, before being sent to the Victorian Governor.

Victoria’s first round of sex work reforms are scheduled to come into effect on May 10 and the remainder in December 2023, including a repeal of the Sex Work Act 1994.

Applause as Vic sex work law reforms pass
Independent Information