The Australian Sex Party's Fiona Patten is set to score a seat in the Victorian upper house. Source: News Limited
THE Australian Sex Party's Fiona Patten is on track to secure an upper house seat in Victorian Parliament.
With 60 per cent of the votes counted, early results indicate Ms Patten is well on her way to victory.
The longtime activist told news.com.au she was "trying not to get excited" but believed her chances of election — hopefully alongside her colleague Dr Francesca Collins — were "comfortable".
"I really, really noticed that in this campaign, talking to people at polling booths at train stations and shopping malls, that people understood what our policies were instead of focusing on the (party) name," Ms Patten said.
"Gone were the whispers. There were no silly jokes this time around, no sniggering."
The Australian Sex Party was set up four years ago to counter what it perceived as persecution of the sex industry by politicians using a religious platform.
One of the first issues it campaigned on was a Royal Commission into child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
"We honestly felt like we played a part in bringing that about," Ms Patten said.
Sex Party Victorian upper house candidate Fiona Patten. Source: News Limited
The party wants prostitution laws reformed and marijuana decriminalised; it wants to see same-sex marriage legalised, equal opportunity for people with HIV/AIDS and age-appropriate sex education in schools.
"But the issue I want to tackle first is one that neither of the major parties will even discuss and that is that 86 per cent of the population want to see a debate on euthanasia," Ms Patten said.
"I mean, we have so many choices in our lives, we have science doing amazing things but at the end of the day we are an ageing population. There are too many ill people, too many patients suffering because they are not allowed to choose a dignified, pain-free death and their families have to watch them suffer, sometimes for years."
The Australian Sex Party believes the government can make lots of money legalising — and taking control of — the marijuana business and using the profits for good. Source: Facebook
If elected, Ms Patten said her first act would be to refer a voluntary euthanasia bill to the law reform commission. She hopes Labor and the Liberals will allow a conscience vote on the issue.
Next on the list is drug reform.
The Australian Sex Party made preference deals with the Basic Rock 'N' Roll Party, Voluntary Euthanasia Party, Animal Justice Party and the Australian Cyclists Party — groups with names reflecting the diversity of the 22 parties competing in this election.
Other fringe parties in with a chance include the Shooters and Fishers Party, the Democratic Labor Party and the Country Alliance.
Fiona Patten, convener of the Australian Sex Party, in Canberra. Source: Supplied
Preference guru Glenn Druery told the Herald Sun yesterday that he was sure of one thing — neither Labor nor the Coalition would hold a majority.
"Minor parties will have the balance of power," he said.
Ms Patten said the fringe factor should be welcomed rather than feared or ridiculed because it represented diversity, which was always a good thing.
"I'm not there to stymie the government, I'm there to broaden debate," she said.
"The fact that we have 22 parties in this election I think shows that people are completely disaffected by the major powers and that they are well and truly ready to discuss the issues that have been ignored for so long because of their controversial or divisive nature."
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