Central Pier staff sacked before Christmas as uncertainty clouds Docklands precinct’s future
Dec 18, 2019
By state political reporter Bridget Rollason
More than 100 people who work at Central Pier in Melbourne's Docklands have lost their jobs on the eve of Christmas, as businesses grapple with an uncertain future.
The century-old pier was abruptly shut down 15 weeks ago by the State...
Joy 94.9 Tom & Jess – Bushfires & Affordable Housing
Dec 18, 2019
Leader of Reason Victoria, Fiona Patten joins Tom and Jess to discuss the Prime Minister’s focus on the draft of the Religious Freedom Bill taking attention away from the country battling a bushfire crisis.
Looking ahead to 2020, Fiona thinks we need to find a solution to...
Fiona Patten says Sustainable Australia MP Clifford Hayes was the colleague who impressed her most in parliament this year.
And the Liberal Party was the biggest disappointment.
Patten, leader of the Reason Party, was asked to award her best-on-ground and wooden spooner for 2019.
She...
Rhiannon Down, Herald SunPicture; Andrew Tauber
Hundreds of people marched yesterday to reclaim Merri Creek Trail following a horror sex attack on a jogger.
Residents and supporters joined the Reclaim Our Merri Creek walk to show solidarity with the victim, who was assaulted in...
Homelessness inquiry
Dec 6, 2019
An inquiry into the growing issue of homelessness across Victoria began in Bairnsdale on Monday.
It was the first in a series of regional forums.
The Legislative Council’s Legal and Social Issues Committee has identified family violence as the number one reason women become...
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Consumer Affairs Marlene Kairouz have announced the appointment of Fiona Patten @FionaPattenMLC, to conduct a comprehensive review to consider the decriminalisation of sex work in Victoria. Fiona’s tireless advocacy for sex worker rights...
EDITORIAL | High time to rethink sex worker laws
Nov 30, 2019
Photo; JANIE BARRETT
The call for a review of whether sex work should be decriminalised in Victoria is a welcome step and one that is sure to generate its share of heated discussion. In its most transactional form, prostitution is the exchange of sexual services for payment no different to...
‘Off the streets and on the net’: solicitation charges dwindle as sex workers shift online
Nov 30, 2019
By Farrah Tomazin
Street prostitution has declined so dramatically in Victoria that police recorded only five solicitation crimes against sex workers last year – down from almost 500 offences 14 years ago.
Days after Victoria announced a wide-ranging review that could pave the way for...
GEMMA BATH
- With AAP
Sex work could be fully decriminalised in Victoria within two years, with “incredibly outdated” laws regulating the industry set to be reviewed.
The inquiry comes as sex workers say the current legislation is putting their safety at risk.
Reason Party MP...
By Noel Towell, Farrah Tomazin and Sumeyya Ilanbey
Victoria has taken its first step toward decriminalising prostitution, launching an inquiry into the laws around sex work to be led by crossbench state MP Fiona Patten.
Consumer Affairs Minister Marlene Kairouz announced on Wednesday...