Sex worker organising in Australia emerged alongside the Women’s Movement in the late 1970s, with formal organisations taking shape in the early 1980s.
In 1983, the Australian Prostitutes Collective (APC)—the forerunner to SWOP NSW — was established by Sydney University students from Students’ Initiatives in Community Health (SICH) alongside sex workers and allies. That same year, the APC held its first public meeting at the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross.
By the mid-1980s, the rapid spread of HIV created an urgent need for a coordinated, well-resourced response. In 1985, the APC achieved a groundbreaking milestone, securing world-first government funding for a sex worker-led initiative to address the HIV crisis—setting a precedent that would resonate globally. (See journal article: “Sex Workers as Safe Sex Advocates: Sex Workers Protect Both Themselves and the Wider Community From HIV.”).
This funding enabled the APC to move beyond its beginnings in a Kings Cross coffee shop, establish a dedicated base, elect a governing body, employ staff, and roll out peer education programs grounded in the long-standing tradition of experienced sex workers mentoring newcomers.
The 1994–1997 Wood Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service exposed widespread police corruption, including systemic bribery and extortion of sex workers and brothel operators. The findings revealed that criminalisation enabled an environment where police exploited their powers to solicit payments and protection money, while failing to address actual crimes against sex workers.
In response to these findings—the NSW Government passed reforms in 1995 that decriminalised most aspects of adult sex work. Regulatory responsibility shifted from police to local councils, reducing police control over the industry and improving safety for sex workers.
While this reform positioned NSW as a world leader in recognising sex workers’ human rights, NSW as a jurisdiction now lags behind other Australian states and territories that have since implemented full decriminalisation and anti-discrimination protections.
