2021-08-13
The Victorian Greens have welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement today that it will move to decriminalise sex work across the state, and say it follows years of advocacy from sex workers and human rights organisations.
The Greens said the reform was long overdue, and that every worker deserved basic human rights and workplace rights, including sex workers.
Because sex work is work.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for justice, Dr Tim Read:
"The Greens are pleased to see the government finally move to decriminalise sex work more than three decades after the last significant review of Victoria's sex work regulations.
"For too long the state's licencing system has restricted the safety and workplace options of sex workers. It has also made it harder for them to get healthcare and police assistance.
"Today's announcement isn't only welcome, it's long overdue."
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
"Every worker deserves basic human and workplace rights, but sadly sex workers in Victoria have been denied theirs by a set of outdated and discriminatory regulations that have prevented them from operating safely and accessing the supports they need.
"Sex workers and human rights organisations have been calling for the full decriminalisation of sex work for years, so we're glad to see the government has finally listened.
"Hopefully today's announcement will see sex work in Victoria treated exactly how it should be: as work."