Queensland does adult entertainment its own way. In most Australian states, a venue with a liquor licence can put on striptease under fairly general conditions. In Queensland, sexually explicit entertainment needs a separate adult entertainment permit on top of the liquor licence, issued by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation under the Liquor Act 1992. The permit fixes exactly which room the entertainment may happen in, exactly which hours it may run, and who must be supervising it. That is why the state has a small, stable and very visible club scene rather than a sprawling one — and why our directory lists just 12 venues across the whole of Queensland.
How the permit system actually works
The legal definition is blunt. The regulator treats entertainment as “adult entertainment” where the anus, vulva, vagina, penis or scrotum of any performer or staff member is visible — deliberately or accidentally. Striptease, nude dancing and nude waitering all need a permit. Topless barmaids and G-string promotions generally do not, which is why a venue can trade as a topless bar on a different footing to a full strip club.
- Council consent first. An application for a new permit can only be made with the consent of the local council. Town planning approval is not the same thing and does not count.
- Public objection period. Applicants must display signage on the street frontage for 28 days, and the application goes on the regulator’s public register. Community, council, police and the Minister can all object.
- An approved controller must be present in every area where adult entertainment is performed, and cannot serve drinks, take money or screen patrons while doing it. Failure to supervise carries penalties of up to $17,270 for an individual and $86,350 for a licensee company.
- Trading without a permit attracts fines of up to $34,540.
- Permits run for up to three years, are not transferable and not renewable. A three-year permit costs $2,588 in 2026–27.
- No adult entertainment on Good Friday or Christmas Day — it must stop at midnight the night before.
On the two points people ask about most: the Adult Entertainment Code (now in the Liquor (Approval of Adult Entertainment Code) Regulation 2024) prohibits performers from touching another person’s genitalia or anus, from allowing a patron to touch theirs, from placing their face in close proximity to a patron’s genitals or anus, and from soliciting for commercial sexual services. Separately, the approved area itself must be fully enclosed from outside view and must not contain lounges, booths, compartments or cubicles for the private use of patrons, and every application’s management plan must set out how the venue will ensure there is no audience participation during performances. So the common claim that Queensland “banned lap dancing and private rooms” is roughly right in effect, though the law achieves it through the approved-area rules and the code rather than by naming lap dancing. Several clubs still advertise private rooms and VIP booths — treat that marketing with caution and ask at the door.
One premise worth correcting: there is no statewide list of towns where adult entertainment is allowed. The geography is controlled indirectly — mandatory council consent, council planning schemes, and a test of whether the combined number of adult venues would substantially affect the character of the locality. The practical result is concentration in a handful of entertainment precincts.
Brisbane
- HoneyB’s — 55 Caxton Street
- Eye Candy — 249 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006
- The Candy Club — 198 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley
- Showgirls Brisbane — Queen Street Mall, Brisbane QLD 4001
- Confidential Club — 445 Upper Edward Street, Spring Hill, 4004
- The Grosvenor Topless Bar & Strip Club — 320 George Street, Brisbane
Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise)
- Hollywood Showgirls — Level 1, 19 Orchid Ave, Surfers Paradise
- Players Showgirls — 18 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
- The Toybox Showgirls — 3094 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Gold Coast
Cairns
- Covergirls Bar & Lounge — 77 Lake Street, Cairns QLD 4870
Mackay
- Showbar 140 — 140 Victoria Street, Mackay
Toowoomba
- The Vault — 368 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba
Note that our Queensland catalogue currently has no Townsville listing. That is a gap in our directory, not a statement that the city has no venues.
What to check before you go
- Check the venue actually holds a current permit. The regulator keeps a public register of liquor and gaming licence and permit applications and decisions. Permits expire after three years and cannot be renewed automatically, so a venue that advertised nude shows two years ago may not be permitted today.
- Don’t assume a “private room” means what it does interstate. The approved area cannot contain booths, compartments or cubicles for patrons’ private use, and management plans must show there will be no audience participation. Ask what is actually on offer before paying for a VIP upgrade.
- Confirm the hours and the date. Adult entertainment hours are set in the permit and may differ from bar trading hours — a venue can run adult entertainment after liquor service ends, as long as no alcohol is served or consumed. And nothing runs on Good Friday or Christmas Day.