Victoria’s parliament will today debate legislation that critics say will ban families and media outlets from speaking about and reporting on deceased victims of sexual assault.

The state government says the changes are necessary to fix laws that banned survivors from speaking publicly about the crime.

But critics warn the changes go too far and would prevent the families of women murdered and sexually assaulted from ever speaking out.

Guest:

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten
Producer: Gillian Bennett

by AAP NEWSWIRE

Victoria is set to become the last Australian state to introduce a spent convictions scheme.

A bill was introduced in state parliament on Tuesday that will prevent the disclosure of eligible minor convictions after 10 years if a person has committed no other crime.

Convictions will also become ‘spent’ and no longer show on a police check after five years for a juvenile offence.

The scheme is designed to reduce the damaging effect old criminal records can have on people looking for employment, as well as when they try to secure housing or apply for volunteer work…

…

Ms Hennessy said the government moved on the reform following a parliamentary inquiry into spent convictions, headed by Reason MP Fiona Patten.

Ms Patten said the bill “meets the mark” and will benefit thousands of people.

“We heard from people who had an offence when they were 18 – like a burglary offence – and that was still weighing on them when they apply for a passport or apply for a job,” she told reporters on Tuesday.

“It will affect thousands of people who’ve gone through our criminal court, who have turned a new leaf, and are still being discriminated against and judged for something they did in their youth.”

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Read the full article on the Riverine Herald’s website.

Zero. Nada. None. Nil. Zilch.

No New Cases Means Premier Must Open Safely – and Now.

Member for Northern Metropolitan and Leader of The Reason Party, Fiona Patten MP, has called on Premier Daniel Andrews to finally take the opening steps he has promised every Victorian as the state records zero new cases of Covid19 and marks a seven-day period with no deaths from the virus.

“With a 14-day rolling average of now just 3.8, well below what we were told was needed to open our city back up, it’s now time that Victoria emerges from the darkness we have all endured and start our new state of ‘covid normal’,” said Ms Patten.

“People are ready, business is ready – Melbourne is ready.

“We know we need to open our economy back up safely, there is no doubt about that, but having come all this way, Victorians now rightly deserve to have their freedoms restored.

“The Premier must now take a huge step forward and remove the bulk of restrictions across Melbourne.”

Ms Patten has generally supported the governments health-first approach to the Covid19 pandemic, but now that targets have been achieved says that the time has come for Victoria to get back to business – get back to life – albeit somewhat differently.

“It isn’t over, we know that, and the pain is going to be felt for some time,” said Ms Patten.

“Families, individuals, and businesses will need ongoing support. But we can’t keep living as we are.

“This is now about mutual trust. The community must trust that the government have the processes in place and I for one believe that they have. Most importantly the government must now trust that the community will continue to act safely and our businesses will follow strict Covid plans.”

“The time has come Premier,” she said. “Let’s go!’

Larissa Sandy | Senior Lecturer in Criminology & Justice Studies, RMIT University

The Victorian government has just received a landmark review into the state’s sex work laws.

This is the first large-scale review of Victorian sex work laws since 1985 and presents a huge opportunity for change.

With the Victorian Labor Party platform in favour of sex work decriminalisation, the current review is considering how, not if, that can be done.

But the path there is not straightforward. The only way to adequately protect the health, safety and dignity of sex workers is to introduce full decriminalisation.

This would make Victoria the world’s first jurisdiction to do so.

What’s in the review?

Announced last year, the review is led by Reason MP and sex worker advocate Fiona Patten.

The Andrews government asked Patten to make recommendations

on the preferred options for legislative reform needed to achieve decriminalisation of sex work in Victoria, including reform to legislation concerning health, safety, planning and criminal matters.

The review was completed last week week and has not yet been made public. The Andrews government is not expected to respond with a bill until next year at the earliest…

…

Read the full article on The Conversation’s website.

Member for Northern Metropolitan and Leader of the Reason Party, Fiona Patten MP, has backed a group of candidates for council elections in Victoria that she hopes will see the party extend its reach from state parliament to local government.

“We are running a targeted campaign in a select group of wards where we believe we can make a difference,” said Ms Patten. “Yarra, Moreland, Darebin and Glen Eira councils could all do with a dose of Reason.

“Six of the seven wards we are running in are within my own electorate of Northern Metropolitan. I am involved with the issues facing many of these communities personally and having Reason Party members on council means we can help people at a far more intimate, grass-roots level.

“I am extremely excited by the quality of our candidates and the depth of the policy initiatives of our team,” Ms Patten said. “It is one of the best group of candidates we have put together for any election. Every one of them would make a great councillor.”

Under the slogan Community, Commitment, Compassion The Reason Party is running a team of three looking to take seats on the Yarra Council – Guy Barker (Nicholls ward), Jeremy Cowen (Langridge ward) and Penelope Drummond (Melba ward); Moreland Council candidates are Rachel Payne (South ward) and Margee Glover (North East ward); for Darebin Council the party is running Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins (North West ward); and for Glen Eira Council, Ethan Mileikowski (Camden ward) will contest for the party.

The policy issues from the group are wide-ranging. New green spaces, opposing council owned aged-care home sell offs, tackling the loneliness epidemic, youth engagement, recycling, LGBTIQ rights, and health facility upgrades are just a few of the topics the party candidates are tackling.

The revitalisation of community newspapers is also a major policy area that Reason Council candidates are promoting in their campaign, particularly in the Moreland and Darebin areas.

“Councils need to fund the start-up of free, community newspapers to replace our lost essential services,” says Darebin North West ward candidate Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins. “Local news and information is so important.”

“I urge everyone to have their say on who represents them at a local level and would encourage anyone who has a Reason representative in their area to consider giving kindness your Number 1 and electing our candidate,” said Ms Patten.

Postal voting for council elections closes this Friday the 23rd of October.

More information on Reason Party council candidates can be found at www.reason.org.au.

– ENDS –

Melburnians have woken up to an easing of restrictions, with changes to travel, outdoor gatherings, sport and hairdressers now in effect.

For the first time in months, Melbourne residents will be allowed to travel up to 25 kilometres away from their homes and can leave the house for as long as they like.

While hairdressers and sports such as tennis and golf have also been allowed to reopen.

But other businesses and retailers will have to wait until November 2 to open their doors.

Fiona Patten is the leader of the Reason Party, and the MP for Northern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne.

She spoke to ABC NewsRadio’s Thomas Oriti.

Click PLAY below to listen.

Cait Kelly Reporter

In addition to deciding the fate of their political representatives on Saturday, New Zealanders also cast their votes on the burning issue of cannabis legalisation.

While the results of that referendum won’t be known until October 30, it has already sparked conversation across the ditch, with both pro- and anti-cannabis law reform campaigners in Australia watching closely.

New Zealand’s cannabis referendum has been on the cards since 2017, when Jacinda Ardern won the support of the country’s Green Party by agreeing to put cannabis law reform to a national poll…

…

In Victoria, Reason Party leader Fiona Patten is currently chairing a parliamentary inquiry into cannabis use in the state.

“We are considering how you manage cannabis use in the most effective way,” Ms Patten said.

New Zealand is simply “following the trend happening across the world”, she told The New Daily.

The whole of the Pacific coast of America from Canada to Mexico have legalised and regulated cannabis,” Ms Patten said.

“Now we are seeing one of our closest Pacific neighbours follow.”

Australians under the age of 30 are “twice as likely to use cannabis than tobacco”, Ms Patten said.

“This isn’t about whether cannabis should be available … this is about how governments can regulate it and keep it out of the hands of criminals and children,” she said…

…

Read the full article on The New Daily’s website.

By Gillian Jalimnson

In the Australian state of Victoria, a Government working group will be formed with view to making changes to road laws effectively forbidding patients who take legally prescribed medicines with THC from driving.

Currently, it is an offence in Victoria for a person to drive with any amount of THC in their system – and that includes THC that has been ingested in the form of legally prescribed medical cannabis. Penalties can be harsh, including large fines and/or suspension of a driver’s licence…

…

“I look forward to the working group getting underway and offering whatever support I can, so that people who take medicinal cannabis can look forward to leading a more normal life and not be treated like a criminal when they get behind the wheel,” said Ms. Patten.

Read the full article on HempGazette’s website.

By ANTHONY PIOVESAN
📷: Andrew Henshaw/NCA NewsWire

The Victorian government will back a push for medicinal cannabis patients to be able to drive in an Australian-first move.

Victorian Reason Party MP Fiona Patten – behind the push supported in parliament on Wednesday – said it was “simply unfair” Australia was “the only jurisdiction” that prevented medicinal cannabis patients from driving 24/7.

“I am pleased that the government has seen sense and will move to change the laws around medicinal cannabis and driving – it’s about time,” she said…

…

“The average medicinal cannabis patient is a 55 year old woman. These patients gain great relief from their medication but should be able to drive their kids to school in the morning,” Ms Patten said.

Read the full article on The Australian’s website.

Alex White, Herald Sun

A new law could allow people taking medicinal cannabis to be able to drive a car while medicated in Victoria.

Currently, anyone taking cannabis for medical reasons cannot hit the roads at all, effectively rendering them unable to drive a car.

However, in a new push Reason Party Leader Fiona Patten has put forward a bill that people with a valid prescription will be able to drive a car with low levels of THC in their system.

“It is important to note that the average medicinal cannabis patient in Victoria is a 55yo woman,” Ms Patten said.

“We stigmatise medicinal cannabis in Victoria unfairly.

“The effect of this Bill is simple – to treat these medicines, prescribed by a doctor, in the same way as any other prescription medication under the Road Safety Act…

Read full article on the Herald Sun’s website.