Sex Party seeks election
The Australian Sex Party will field candidates in the November 27 state election.
Sex Party president Fiona Patten said the party, recently registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission, would field 20 candidates.
鈥淧redominately we鈥檒l be choosing marginal seats,鈥� she told Southern Star Observer.
鈥淚 think this election we are in there with a chance, quite possibly an Upper House seat.
鈥淎nd this being the only state where the DLP [Democratic Labor Party] has any presence, I think it鈥檚 really important there鈥檚 a counter like the Sex Party in there.鈥�
The party is likely to campaign on a range of social issues including a push to tighten Victoria鈥檚 anti-discrimination laws to cover people on the basis of work 鈥� like sex workers 鈥� allowing same-sex adoption and the introduction of safe injecting rooms.
Patten said conservative parties in Victoria, such as the DLP, which strongly opposes granting relationship and IVF rights to gay and lesbian couples, needed a balance.
鈥淭hings like access to IVF, which I know is pretty good in Victoria, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it can鈥檛 change,鈥� Patten said.
鈥淲hen you have people like the DLP gaining a foothold here; not only do they have a member in the Legislative Council, they鈥檝e now got a [federal] Senator, so to stop that pendulum from swinging, you do need to keep pushing it and apply pressure on the government.鈥�
Patten said the party 鈥� which first ran a candidate in the 2009 Higgins by-election 鈥� will also seek to challenge Victoria鈥檚 classification laws if the party wins a seat.
It鈥檚 likely the party will go head-to-head with lesbian Greens candidate for Richmond Kathleen Maltzahn, whom they accuse of taking a hardline stance on Victoria鈥檚 sex industry.
The VEC received one objection to the Sex Party鈥檚 registration on the grounds that the name was obscene, which was eventually dismissed.
