Doug PollardSex Party Head Makes Election Pitch
Fiona Patten
Fiona Patten in conversation with Freshly Doug host Doug Pollard
DOUG: Joining me now in the studio is the leader of the Australian Sex Party, Fiona Pattern. The Party is standing for the first time in the state elections; good morning, Fiona. Welcome back.
FIONA: Good morning, Doug. Welcome back to you, too.
DOUG: Thank you – now, how did you do in the federals, for a start? Let’s put it there - - -
FIONA: I think we did surprisingly well for our very first election.
DOUG: - - - m’mm?
FIONA: As we were talking earlier, with pretty much no budget. I think we came fourth in Victoria. We got over quarter-of-a-million votes in the senate, nationally and we didn’t run in two states - - -
DOUG: That’s not bad.
FIONA: - - - so yeah, I think in Victoria is was about 2.6 per cent of the vote. I think that’s not a bad first time.
DOUG: You’re standing in the state elections, now. Have you a candidate in every constituency?
FIONA: Goodness, no.
[laughs]
DOUG: Concentrating on the city, yeah?
FIONA: Well look, that’s right – m’mm, we ran 20-candidates, nationally - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
FIONA: - - - and I think we’re going to be running 20-candidates in Victoria - - -
DOUG: Right.
FIONA: Which I think is great. Northern metropolitan and certainly, some of those inner-city seats like Prahran, Melbourne, Richmond etcetera and some of the upper house seats around the state.
DOUG: We’ve had what I’ve taken to calling, Premier Brumby’s Pink Package - - -
FIONA: M’mm, I know [laughs]
DOUG: - - - thrust upon us recently - - -
FIONA: So early in the morning. Yeah.
DOUG: Yes – his AU$2.5m package of proposals for the gay community. Now – m’mm, there’re more than a few people in the community who think this is wonderful. There’re also quite a few who don’t think it’s particularly wonderful. What do you make of it?
FIONA: I – you know, I think it’s probably really long overdue and I think you have to be quite cynical when it comes out at this time after they’ve been in government for over a decade. Any money that comes into the community is welcome and I notice a big AU$50,000 to Midsumma (Festival) – well, that’s one of my favourite days of the year.
DOUG: What are your Party’s policies you’re bringing to the state election - - -
FIONA: M’mm - - -
DOUG: - - - specific interest to the gay community?
FIONA: Yes – look, I think what we bring are diverse candidates first and foremost so rather than just talking about gay and lesbian issues we have gays and lesbians standing as candidates. It’s not common in the other parties and I suspect for people from our community to get pre-selected in Labor and Liberal is not easy; so, first and most importantly I think the Sex Party brings with it a diverse community. That hopefully not only – well, that reflects our community at that much higher level than just throwing money at a community.
DOUG: Yeah, it’s interesting you say that about pre-selection. Because the landlord of The Peel, Tom McFeely was standing for - - -
FIONA: Yes.
DOUG: - - - the Liberals. An openly gay candidate and I see this morning that he’s not. He’s gone Independent.
FIONA: Yes. I think it is very difficult and you look at Labor’s issue on gay marriage - - -
DOUG: M’mm.
FIONA: - - - and I feel quite sorry for the woman but Penny Wong had to come out saying: really, it’s not such a good idea so from our Party we see absolute equality and the law should not discriminate against anyone on the ground of their sexuality. I think it’s a no-brainer – I mean, we can’t say we’ll spend two-and-a-half million dollars on something [laughs]
DOUG: No.
FIONA: At this stage – but I think, being in there from our community means that we can represent this community at a much deeper level.
DOUG: Let’s go to specifics then and take a look at the proposed amendments to the Adoption Act.
FIONA: M’mm?
DOUG: All that’s happened so far is the Brumby government has said they will look at reviewing the Adoption Act - - -
FIONA: Yes.
DOUG: - - - to better reflect the needs of gay and lesbian parents. Would you be supportive of amending the Adoption Act?
FIONA: Most definitely. Most definitely, as most of your listeners would know my sister is in a situation where her and her partner have had a child - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
FIONA: - - - and my sister can’t adopt that child. Now, if my sister was a man of course she could adopt the child. That’s actually a very personal issue. I think it’s also – an issue was raised with me about a week ago, with I.V.F. We certainly have seen changes so a wider range of our community can access I.V.F. but the aside from that is now they’ve said anyone accessing it has to undergo a mandatory police check - - -
DOUG: Yes.
FIONA: That was only because we were bringing in a more diverse community to access I.V.F. and I thought that is just appalling – and I would certainly think that’s incredibly discriminatory, it’s an insult.
DOUG: Another issue that’s been playing in the community, too, are the various anti-discrimination, equal opportunities Acts which at the moment are riddled with exemptions - - -
FIONA: M’mm.
DOUG: - - - for not just churches but religiously run bodies, whatever they may happen to be. Everything from the "Sanitarium" Biscuit Factory on I think - - -
[laughs]
FIONA: Well, that’s exactly right – I think probably, Gloria Jean’s would come under that - - -
DOUG: I wouldn’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised - - -
FIONA: - - - they’re owned by Hillsong.
DOUG: Yes – now, they’re allowed to discriminate against us, still, aren’t they?
FIONA: Yes.
DOUG: Because they are established for a religious purpose - - -
FIONA: M’mm.
DOUG: - - - whatever that might be.
FIONA: Separation of church-and-state, yet again. We very strongly believe in a separation of church and state – and again – I don’t believe anyone should be allowed to discriminate on the grounds of someone’s sexuality, regardless of their personal feelings or – I don’t know if you’d call it ‘professional’ feelings – religious feelings, about it. Its – yeah, these exemptions just weaken – water-down, these pieces of legislation to make them not really - - -
DOUG: Not as effective as they might be, yeah.
FIONA: - - - yeah. Probably pretty ineffective – when you say: discrimination except - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm. Immediately you’re discriminating all over again.
FIONA: That’s right. That’s right.
DOUG: Another of the problems with anti-discrimination legislation is that it’s actually very difficult to use - - -
FIONA: M’mm.
DOUG: I don’t know if you’ve ever run across someone trying to use the anti-discrimination legislation say for example, when they’ve been discriminated against with employment. It’s actually quite complex to use.
FIONA: It’s extremely difficult and I did have the experience. In the A.C.T. I was able to have an amendment made to the Discrimination Act so you couldn’t discriminate against someone on the grounds of their job, trade or calling; now, this specifically did effect the sex industry where sex workers were getting discriminated and we see it in Victoria as well. That – you know, the “Herald Sun” will say if you’re a plumber it’ll cost you AU$50 to put this ad in, if you’re a sex worker it’ll cost you - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
FIONA: - - - two-hundred-and-fifty. We brought a couple of cases against newspapers and various businesses, it was – it was so complex. As long as the other side had deep pockets - - -
DOUG: M’mm.
FIONA: It was very difficult to get a result.
DOUG: So you’d support some kind of amendment to the system?
FIONA: That’s right.
DOUG: To make that easier.
FIONA: That’s right and I really think a group like the Sex Party is probably in a good position for that. We’re not going to be running the country, we’re not going to be running the state but we could have a very strong voice in the upper house or in - - -
DOUG: Well, you could be in a king-maker position, if - - -
FIONA: - - - we could be.
DOUG: If the poles are right and Baillieu isn’t going to win on his own, he’s going to need support from other parties - - -
FIONA: That’s right.
DOUG: - - - then you could be in a position to have some considerable influence.
FIONA: The Greens really are now a major Party and I think, this election will probably cement that even further which means they have to become more central - - -
DOUG: Yes.
FIONA: They then have to keep a much larger group of people happy which means they soften a lot of their more socially progressive issues. Which leaves room for something like the Australian Sex Party to come in - - -
DOUG: I notice you’re all in green today.
FIONA: I am, I know. Yes.
[laughs]
FIONA: I call it my granny clothes, actually.
DOUG: You’re after the Green vote.
[laughs]
FIONA: After any vote we can get. But we come from a small business position so I think we come from a pretty pragmatic position. Which means we can work with Liberal and we can work with Labor - - -
DOUG: Which might be a bit difficult for the Greens, you reckon?
FIONA: I think it’s going to be more difficult and we’re already seeing how acrimonious this election is starting to get. I can only see it getting worse as the weeks go by.
DOUG: Let’s hope it doesn’t get too dirty in the wrong sense of the word - - -
FIONA: Yes [laughs]
DOUG: - - - and let’s hope you have some success, this time out.
FIONA: Thank you, Doug.
DOUG: That was Fiona Pattern, the leader of the Australian Sex Party now running in quite a number of seats in this election.
