Is It Legal to Book an Escort in Queensland?

Yes, if everyone involved is an adult and consents. On 2 August 2024, Queensland removed the prostitution offences from the Criminal Code and repealed the Prostitution Act 1999. Since then, booking an adult escort, directly or through an agency, is not a crime. The offences that still apply are listed below.

General information, not legal advice. Last checked: 27 September 2026.

The law that changed

The Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 is Act No. 23 of 2024. It received assent on 9 May 2024. Most of it started on 2 August 2024, under a proclamation (SL No. 135 of 2024). The Act:

• removed chapter 22A (Prostitution) from the Criminal Code (section 15)
• repealed the Prostitution Act 1999 (section 35)
• abolished the Prostitution Licensing Authority (section 34, which inserted section 343 into the Work Health and Safety Act 2011)
• added new crimes that protect people under 18, and widened the coercion offence (sections 13 and 14)

What this means if you book an escort

• Paying an adult for sex work is no longer a crime in Queensland. The old offences in chapter 22A of the Criminal Code no longer exist.
• You can book through an escort agency or directly with an independent worker. The Local Government Act 2009, section 37A names an escort agency as a sex work business. It also stops councils making local laws that ban or regulate sex work.
• Sex work businesses follow the laws that apply to other businesses. For example, under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, section 19, a business must ensure the health and safety of its workers, so far as is reasonably practicable.
• The Anti-Discrimination Act 1991, section 7, lists "sex work activity" as a protected attribute. Discrimination on that basis is prohibited in the areas the Act covers.

What is still against the law

These are crimes under the current Criminal Code. An adult is a person aged 18 or over (section 1).

• Paying anyone under 18 for sexual services. This is a crime under section 217A. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison, 14 years if the child is under 16, and life if the child is under 12.
• Involving anyone under 18 in sex work. It is a crime to let a person under 18 on premises to take part in sex work (section 217B). It is also a crime to cause them to provide it, arrange for them to provide it, or take money from it (section 217C). The maximum penalty is 14 years.
• Coercion. It is a crime to use coercion to make a person provide sex work, keep providing it, or hand over money from it (section 218). Coercion includes threats, intimidation, assault, damaging property and lying or fraud. The maximum penalty is 14 years.
• Any sexual act without consent. Consent means "free and voluntary agreement", and a person may withdraw consent at any time (section 348). The rape and sexual assault laws in chapter 32 apply to sex work in the same way as everywhere else.

How we work within the law

• Every companion is an adult, and every client must be 18 or over.
• Companions choose their own services, clients and boundaries, and they can decline or end any booking.
• We use your details only to arrange your booking, and we never share them.
• We may ask a few screening questions before a first booking, to keep everyone safe.

New to booking? Read our first-time booking guide and our notes on booking etiquette. When you are ready, send us an enquiry.

Official sources

• Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024, Act No. 23 of 2024, as passed
• Proclamation commencing the Act, SL No. 135 of 2024
• Criminal Code Act 1899, current version, sections 217A to 218 and 348
• Anti-Discrimination Act 1991, section 7
• Local Government Act 2009, section 37A
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011, sections 19, 275A and 343
• Sex work industry decriminalisation, Queensland Department of Justice summary

The law will change again. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, section 275A, an independent review of these changes must take place 4 to 5 years after they started. Always check the current version of each Act.