History of Decriminalization in Australia: Part 2

In this second and final episode on the decriminalization of sex work in Australia, host Kaytlin Bailey picks up where we left off: the 1995 vote to decriminalize sex work in New South Wales.

We look at what happened after decrim passed, what it actually changed for sex workers and their neighbors, and how the fight has moved from the streets and brothels to city councils, state legislatures, and online platforms.

You’ll hear from:

• Elena Jeffreys – sex worker and advocacy lead for Scarlet Alliance, on how decriminalization transformed day-to-day safety, the ongoing damage caused by local council overreach, and why racialized enforcement against Asian and migrant workers remains the frontline of anti-sex work politics.

• Eurydice Aroney – longtime sex worker rights advocate, on how decrim reduced community hysteria, what a decriminalized neighborhood actually looks like, and why most residents don’t even realize brothels are upstairs from their favorite shops.

• Eliza Sorensen – sex worker, co-CEO of Assembly Four, and co-founder of Switter and Tryst.link, on the new battleground of online safety laws, age verification, payment processing, and why we still don’t have decriminalization of sex work online.

We cover:

• How the 1995 reforms gave sex workers in NSW the ability to report abuse and seek protection from police, instead of being targets of police corruption.

• The warning Roberta Perkins gave lawmakers the day before decrim passed – that dumping responsibility onto local councils without clear planning rules would cause problems – and how right she was.

• The way local zoning and planning powers are used to target Asian and migrant-run workplaces while more privileged workers can quietly sidestep the harshest scrutiny.

• The spread of decriminalization across Australia: from NSW to the Northern Territory, Victoria, and Queensland, and why licensing models in other states have failed sex workers.

• How laws like Australia’s Online Safety Act and age verification mandates create new risks for sex workers, queer people, and anyone seeking sexual health information.

• The story of Switter and Tryst – why sex workers had to build their own platforms, what happens when they get kicked off infrastructure providers, and how digital rights and sex worker rights movements are increasingly intertwined.

Kaytlin closes the episode with a reflection on what Australia’s story teaches us: that decriminalization works, that gains can be undermined by racism and surveillance, and that sex workers’ strategies for keeping each other safe are a blueprint for defending everyone’s basic freedoms.

This is Part 2 of our series on the decriminalization of sex work in Australia.

Listen, subscribe, and sign up for our newsletter at oldprosonline.org.