Photographer : sarchi @ flickr
Australia’s latest political party is combining sex and politics in a new way. The Australian Sex Party was launched last month at the annual Melbourne Sexpo by Fiona Pattern, the CEO of Eros, Australia’s national adult retail and entertainment association. Pattern believes that the Sex Party and the issues it represent are needed to offset growing conservatism in Australian politics. The Sex Party was created mainly in opposition to parties driven by religion such as Family First. ‘People are sick of not being treated like adults when it comes to issues involving censorship and personal choices … where religious minorities are influencing the agenda’, said Pattern, adding ‘it’s the beginning of a new chapter in upper house politics’.
With the slogan ‘we’re serious about sex’, the Australian Sex Party stands for issues that affect gender and sex, with a key focus on abolishing the federal government’s proposal to filter (and censor) the internet. The Party believes that the filter, which would be compulsory in every household, will ‘put the Australian sex industry out of business in five years’. According to Pattern the filter also threatens the very existence of the Sex Party online, representing a ‘real challenge to political free speech’.
While the idea of a country willing to acknowledge and find solutions to issues concerning sex and gender is liberating, the Sex Party is facing heavy backlash from Christian groups condemning the Party’s policies. The Australian Christian Lobby is advocating for Sex Party to be placed last on the how-to-vote cards at future elections, to prevent it from winning seats in state and federal parliament. Lobby Director, Jim Wallace, compares the Party to politician Pauline Hanson. ‘Pauline Hanson was rightly put last on how-to-vote cards because of her inappropriate views on race … the Australian Sex Party should be treated in the same way for its inappropriate views about women,’ he said.
However, the Sex Party’s policies only set out to create positive views of women. These include:
- Safe and guilt free pregnancy termination
- The abolishment of sex slavery by introducing safe immigration policies for bona-fide sex workers
- The creation of a mandatory equal number of women in the upper houses and the senate
In a response to the ‘sexual needs’ of Australia, the Australian Sex Party vows to focus on issues that ‘morals campaigners and prudish politicians’ set aside or distort including gay marriage. As the Party has only recently been launched it’s unclear how much support Australian’s are willing to give it. What is clear is that the policies and ideas raised have stirred the murky waters of politics. We can only hope that the leaders of our communities are paying attention to the oncoming sexual revolution that the creation of the Sex Party promises.
As the Sex Party website states, ‘Sex is a wonderful thing ... entertains us, enthrals us and mystifies us…conditions much of our behaviour’. As a minor party with fresh and unique policies, the Sex Party is a real opportunity to move Australia forward. What the Australian politicians need to ask is, are they serious about sex?
How do I know this?
The Daily Telegraph Australian Sex Party blasted over its views towards woman
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/
0,22049,24679685-5001021,00.html
Eros Association Australian Sex Party flirts with politics
http://www.eros.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=23
The Australian Australian Christian Lobby says Sex Party 'supports exploitation of women'
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
story/0,25197,24679293-12377,00.html
The Australian Sex Party
http://www.sexparty.org.au/
The Australian Australian Sex Party launches on Thursday
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24662905-12377,00.html
LiveNews Australian Sex Party flirts with politics
http://www.livenews.com.au/articles/2008/11/17/
The_Australian_Sex_Party_flirts_with_politics
BreitBart.Com Sex party set to heat up Australian politics
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081117081954.5w467zcg&show_article=1
The Australian Christian Lobby
http://www.acl.org.au/ 
