Minister says law would give sex workers same rights as ‘any other worker’ and bring state in line with NSW and NT
Legislation to decriminalise sex work and provide sex workers with standard workplace rights and protections will be introduced to the Victorian parliament by the end of the year.
The consumer affairs minister, Melissa Horne, said the state government had accepted a recommendation made by the Reason Party MP Fiona Patten, who was commissioned by the Andrews government in 2019 to conduct a review into sex work.
That review was handed to government last month…
…
Patten, who has been lobbying for sex work to be decriminalised since before she joined parliament, said it was a “red letter day for the red light industry”.
“The government’s announcement [that] it will implement my recommendation to decriminalise sex work as legitimate employment will protect these workers and reduce the stigma and discrimination they have for so long endured,” she said.
“This is a case of making the world better by removing a discriminatory law, not imposing a new law. It simply extends to all sex workers the occupational health and safety, welfare and taxation coverage of any other employee.”
Read the full article on The Guardian AU’s website.
