A Queensland Court of Appeal decision to allow a motel to refuse a sex worker a room has been met with relief from the accommodation industry.
A July 2012 ruling said the owners of a motel in Moranbah had breached the Anti-Discrimination Act by denying a legal sex worker a room. But last week, the Court of Appeal set aside that decision.
The Accommodation Association of Australia said the ruling would have broad "positive consequences" for the industry.
"While the focus of the decision was a motel in Moranbah in regional Queensland, there is a strong possibility that a number of other similar claims against accommodation businesses will now no longer proceed," chief executive Richard Munro said.
He highlighted the industry's long-standing position that the decision on who should be able to stay in tourism accommodation businesses should rest with the owner, operator, licensee or manager of the property.
"This removes a lot of uncertainty for operators of accommodation businesses in Queensland, particularly in regional areas, and it means they can return to their principal aim of providing a tourism product that is of the highest possible standard," Munro said.
