News

By Erin Pearson Victoria will become the first Australian state or territory to ban the use of Nazi symbols including the swastika as part of landmark reform aimed at boosting human rights protections. Legislation expected to be passed early next year willmake the public display of...

By Paul Sakkal The council official accused of editing an image of a slug to frame a food company has denied doctoring the photograph, as her council attacked the credibility of the Dandenong food supplier’s owner. Greater Dandenong Council chief executive John Bennie and two council...

Protest and civil disobedience are rights that have often been pivotal to progress and justice the world over throughout history. Like all rights, they come with responsibilities.  The fundamental ethical constraint on protest is that it ought not trample the rights and safety of innocent...

By Barbara Minchinton he Victorian Government is planning to decriminalise sex work, as New South Wales has already done. Victoria’s current laws provide for legal brothels, but the licensing regulations and some brothel owners’ drive for profits have resulted in a two tier system where...

Staff Writer As the COVID crisis worsens in NSW and Victoria and live events continue to be wiped out, politicians are putting pressure on the government to provide financial support to the music sector. ... Victorian MP Fiona Patten, Leader of Reason, has today called for the State...

By Max Zhou What if hairdressers were regulated like sex workers are in Victoria right now? A simple appointment at the barber is both legal and as normal as it gets. But a similar type of appointment with a self-employed, independent sex worker is illegal if it occurs at the sex...

Leader of Reason, Fiona Patten, has called for an immediate reintroduction of the Live Music Venues Program which provided $15m in cash to our much-loved venues. Ms Patten said the business support for our live music venues is inadequate, strangled in red tape and will not be enough to save the...

Calla Wahlquist Minister says law would give sex workers same rights as ‘any other worker’ and bring state in line with NSW and NT Legislation to decriminalise sex work and provide sex workers with standard workplace rights and protections will be introduced to the Victorian parliament by...

by EDWINA STORIE Victoria has just announced it will decriminalise sex work, whether it be through self-employment, small employers, or large companies. This is an important move towards not only destigmatising sex work, but allowing the industry to be regulated through the same business...

This is a red letter day for the red light industry. The Government's announcement it will implement my recommendation to decriminalise sex work as legitimate employment will protect these workers and reduce the stigma and discrimination they have for so long endured. After pursuing this fair,...