Queensland state election 2024: David Crisafulli says no change to sex work legislation
Sex work will continue to be legal in Queensland under an LNP government despite public criticism of Labor’s decriminalisation of the industry as ‘a mess’.
QLD News
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Laws which decriminalised sex work in Queensland will not be wound back Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has vowed.
It comes after one of his shadow ministers told a community forum the laws pushed through by Labor earlier this year were a “mess”.
Mr Crisafulli said “no” when asked if the laws would be wound back.
“You’ve got my plan, and you know where my focus is,” he said.
Warrego MP Ann Leahy, the Opposition Local Government spokeswoman, criticised the sex work laws in a church-hosted community forum in her electorate on September 23.
“I’ve never seen a bigger mess made by government,” she said.
“And I was actually able to convince my colleagues that it was very poor legislation and the LNP vote against that prostitution legislation as well.”
The laws passed in May repealed offences relating to sex workers, inserted new punishments to protect children, and protected workers in the industry from discrimination.
It will also render local governments powerless when it comes to writing laws that restrict sex work, in a move designed to ensure decriminalisation at a state level wasn’t undone by councils.
Sex work is now subject to regulatory frameworks applicable to other businesses.
The laws were a product of recommendations by the Queensland Law Reform Commission in a report released in March 2023.
The QLRC review included extensive consultation with stakeholders and the public, while considering existing decriminalisation laws in other Australian jurisdictions.
Originally published as Queensland state election 2024: David Crisafulli says no change to sex work legislation
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