By Noel Towell and Michael Fowler, photo by Wayne Taylor
Victoria's medicinal cannabis users could be free as early as next year to drive with the substance in their bodies as the state government considers major changes to drug-driving laws.
In an Australian first, the state...
Victorian Government’s coronavirus omnibus bill passes, extending state of emergency, as no-confidence motion fails
Oct 14, 2020
By Elias Clure
The Victorian Government's coronavirus omnibus bill has passed Parliament, extending the state of emergency until April, and giving police new powers to enforce measures to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The bill was passed after the Government abandoned controversial...
ABC Mornings with Virginia Trioli 8/10/20
Oct 8, 2020
Interview with Fiona Patten, leader, Reason Party. Trioli mentions someone has pointed out the powers in the omnibus bill were set to lapse. Patten says they are a solution searching for a problem.
Click PLAY below to hear...
Leader of the Reason Party and Member for Northern Metro, Fiona Patten MP has said a disappointing federal budget leaves plenty to do for the State Government.
"The federal budget failed women and it has failed public housing,”
"Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas must pick up the...
SIGN: Petition to remove the 5km radius for exercise
Sep 30, 2020
The restriction of exercise to a radius of five kilometres from a person's home has significantly concentrated the exercising population, to such a degree that it is difficult to effectively socially distance in some areas at peak times.
Local routes have become more crowded than ever as, in...
In this fourth episode of the Spring Series 2020, I’m joined once more by Fiona Patten MLC, leader of the Reason Party in the Victorian Parliament.
We talk about many things including the politicisation of the Quarantimes in Victoria, how to handle a tsunami of email, honey, her...
By Rachael Dexter
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has signalled his government is willing to negotiate with crossbench MPs to get a controversial new law through parliament that would give state officials the power to detain people considered a high risk of spreading COVID-19.
Under...
ABC RN Breakfast with Hamish Macdonald 23/9/20
Sep 23, 2020
Interview with Fiona Patten, leader, Reason Party.
Macdonald says senior Victorian bureaucrats, police and emergency chiefs are continuing to experience collective amnesia as they deliver evidence to the state government's inquiry into the Covid-19 hotel quarantine debacle.
"It's really...
Vic COVID-19 bill powers worry QCs, judges
Sep 22, 2020
Roger Vaughan
Prominent legal figures want the Victorian government to change its controversial COVID-19 Omnibus bill, calling some of the provisions "unprecedented, excessive and open to abuse".
Reason Party MP Fiona Patten also will not vote for the bill unless there are...
Fiona Patten told Neil Mitchell that much of the bill was worth supporting for public health reasons, but admitted it needed further inspection.
The Reason Party won’t be voting in favour of it.
“Not in its current form,” she said.
Click PLAY below to hear more on 3AW...