Five years after forming as a political party, the Australian Sex Party has won its first seat in parliament. The party's national President and long time civil liberties lobbyist, Fiona Patten, has just been formally declared the winner of the fifth
seat in the Northern Metropolitan region of the Victorian Legislative Council. Ms Patten won with the fifth highest primary vote in the region and the support of seven other progressive parties who preferenced her highly. She said:
The result is a ringing endorsement of the democratic nature of the preferential voting system. We are becoming more like the many European countries who have a number of parties vying for government on their own or in combination
with another party. New Zealand also follows this trend. The introduction of minor parties into the political landscape in Australia is a sign of a healthy democracy. My vote was made up of a combination of the votes of the progressive minor parties in
my region and ended up being around about a quota in its own right". She said she would seek to progress the key policies of many of these parties like The Voluntary Euthanasia Party, The Basics Rock 'n Roll Party, The Animal
Justice Party, Independent Peter Allen and The Australian Cyclists. Ms Patten has resigned as CEO of Australia's adult industry association, the Eros Association. She founded the association in 1992 and acknowledged the support and the depth of
civil libertarian values present in the industry: Now is the time for the hard work to begin and from today it does. I will immediately commence work on referring Voluntary Euthanasia to the Victorian Law Reform
Commission and then, with the mandate I have, will begin progressing drug law reform in Victoria, including legalising medical and recreational cannabis.
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