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 Government, after it was deemed structurally unsound by Development Victoria.

Business owners said they had been left in the dark and had been forced to lay off hundreds of staff, at what is normally the busiest time of the year…

…

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten said the issue had been poorly managed by Development Victoria.

“Hundreds of people are out of work just before Christmas and there appears to be a complete lack of empathy by the government landlord,” she said.

“You have to think if this was someone like Westfield and their buildings were closed for safety reasons before Christmas, their tenants would be looked after so that their businesses survived and staff remain employed.”

Ms Patten said even if the pier was to open next year it was questionable as to whether businesses would be able to “build back up again”.

Read the full article on the ABC website.

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 housing affordability in the state.

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 said Mr Hayes, who entered the legislative council following last year’s election, had made an impressive start.

“He really thinks about every single one of his votes, and that’s what a crossbencher should do,” Ms Patten said.

“In his first year I saw him vote on some birth certificate stuff, some transsexual legislation, that would not have been where Clifford Hayes’ mind had ever gone in his life.

“But he thought about it and voted with the families – it was really impressive.”

Conversely, Ms Patten said the state Liberal Party hadn’t learned much from the thrashing it copped in the election.

“I think the Liberal Party is being opposition for opposition’s sake,” she said.

“They really need to lift their game and become an alternative government.”

Click PLAY below to hear more on 3AW Mornings

Rhiannon Down, Herald Sun
Picture; 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 Coburg last Tuesday…

…

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten, who also attended the march, dismissed calls for lighting in the area, saying the solution lay in changing men’s attitudes.

“We expect our communities to be vigilant, we expect men to stop raping women,” she said.

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

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 homeless…

…

The committee Chair, Fiona Patten, the regional hearings would help the committee better understand the challenges facing people in regional Victoria who endure homelessness or provide services to people who are homeless.

“It’s important for the committee to hear firsthand about the circumstances in regional communities. We want to learn about their specific needs and how we can best respond to them,” Ms Patten said.

“It might mean we have to smash the system a bit.”

Ms Patten said she hoped the committee would find solutions to the homelessness crisis.

“I believe the solution is there, within the community, but it will probably take some courage.”

“What we do know is that homelessness is a result of issues such as family violence, unemployment, alcohol and drug addiction and mental health,” Ms Patten said.

“So how do we stop people from becoming homeless.”

Read the full article on the Bairnsdale Advertiser website.

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 makes her the best possible person to Chair this review.

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 many other types of work. In reality, that has never been the case. Often enveloped in debates involving human rights, mental and physical health, morals, drug use, human trafficking, coercion and violence, it’s an occupation that governments have struggled to deal with for more than a century.

As Victoria stands today, street prostitution is a crime but selling sex at registered brothels, escort agencies, or as a private sex worker is permitted under strict licensing conditions enforceable with fines and even jail. The complex regulations include laws making it illegal for self-employed private sex workers to take a client into their home or a motel without council permits or licensing approval. Faced with stigma, few bother to jump through the hoops which, fearing detection, discourages them to seek assistance if needed from health services or police…

…

The Andrews government review, to be led by Reason Party MP and sex worker advocate Fiona Patten, will make a call on whether the removal of criminal penalties would provide a better outcome for prostitutes. 

Read the full article on the Age’s website.

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 the decriminalisation of the sex industry, new figures reveal that street-based workers are rarely ever charged anymore, even though street prostitution is still illegal.

A growing number of sex workers have turned to the internet or mobile phone “hook-up” apps to solicit clients, significantly altering the nature of the industry…

…

Crossbencher Fiona Patten will oversee the inquiry, with the government planning to bring on a bill in 2021 – the year before it seeks a third term in office.

Read full article on the Age’s website.

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 and long-time sex worker advocate Fiona Patten has been tasked with leading the first thorough examination of the state’s sex work laws since 1985…

…

“It’s not about legal or illegal brothels,” she told reporters on Wednesday,

“The legislation, because it is so outdated, has made it very difficult for people to actually even comply with the law.”

Read the full article on Mamamia’s website.

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 morning that the review will cover commercial brothels and escort agencies, massage parlours and street prostitution.

If the review recommends that sex work be decriminalised, Ms Kairouz said legislation would be introduced to Parliament for decrminalisation…

…

…Ms Patten, herself a former sex worker, said this was an opportunity for Victoria to lead the nation in identifying “progressive, forward-thinking” ways to address the industry that is still grappling with stigma.

“I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to look at this,” Ms Patten said.

“[Reforming the sex industy] has been my bread and butter work for the last 25 years, so I think to have the opportunity to work with [Ms Kairouz’s] department, to be able to have these conversations with the sex industry … I’m very pleased to be able to do this.”

Read the full article on The Age’s website