VMHPAA welcomes the homecoming of Joy to Darlinghurst and honours the stories of sex workers
- Shane Warren
- Nov 8
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
8th November 2025
The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) welcomes the return of Joy - widely regarded as the world’s first public statue honouring sex workers -to its original plinth in Darlinghurst, following a community-led effort and the City of Sydney’s reinstallation of a new bronze replica.
Originally installed in 1995, the same year NSW largely decriminalised sex work, Joy became an emblem of local history and advocacy before its removal in 1997. After three decades at Macquarie University, a bronze replica has now been unveiled where Yurong and Stanley Streets meet, supported by public consultation (with strong community backing) and a campaign led by advocates including Julie Bates AO and historian Catherine Freyne.
“As Chair of VMHPAA, I was proud to witness Joy’s return just up the street from our Sydney offices,” said Shane Warren, Chair of VMHPAA. “This is more than a statue, it’s a public acknowledgement of the lives, labour, and dignity of sex workers in inner Sydney and beyond... For generations, women and men have made tough, conscious choices often selling their time, energy, and intimacy to pay rent, fund education, or cover medical bills. Their stories include struggle and sacrifice, but also community, care, and grit. Today, our city says those stories matter.”
VMHPAA recognises the significance of Joy’s reinstallation in a neighbourhood long connected with the contemporary sex worker rights movement and notes the City’s broader work to rebalance public art toward women and other historically marginalised groups. The new bronze replica, created with the original artist’s involvement, ensures the work’s longevity as a permanent marker of local history and social change.
“Public art tells the truth about who we are,” Mr Warren added. “Honouring sex workers in the public square is another step toward the dignity, safety, and inclusion every person deserves.”
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
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