Regulator powers
Consumer Affairs Victoria, Victoria Police and authorised local government officers can take licensed sex work service providers who breach legal requirements to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The Tribunal may, among other things, suspend or cancel a licence, and impose a fine.
Licence cancellation
Your licence will be automatically cancelled if you:
- become an insolvent under administration
- fail to lodge an annual statement and pay any required annual licence fee and any required late payment fee by the date required
- serve a prison term in Victoria or elsewhere
- become a represented person under the Guardianship and Administration Act 1986
- have exhausted your rights to appeal after being found guilty of:
- an offence against the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 or in certain circumstances, offences against equivalent laws throughout Australia
- an offence against sections of the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth) specified in Schedule 3 of the Sex Work Act 1994
- an indictable offence punishable by 12 months or more imprisonment or an offence which, if committed in Victoria, would have been an indictable offence punishable by 12 months or more imprisonment. (For information about spent convictions, view the Spent convictions page)
- providing false or misleading information in your licence application or annual statement
- an offence relating to effective control requirements set out in section 42 of the Sex Work Act 1994.
If your licence is suspended or cancelled, you must return the licence certificate to the BLA within seven days. You may be fined for not returning it.