Queen’s Birthday Honours
Jun 24, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:24): I would like to congratulate several outstanding people in Northern Metro, and in particular I would like to recognise the women. Former mayors Helen Patsikatheodorou and Casey Nunn have both been awarded for their outstanding individual service to the people of their communities. Julie Dempsey has been recognised for her service to community mental health through her long-time work with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health. Julie Paul was recognised for her community health service, having worked with Banksia Palliative Care Service for 25 years and co-founding Australian International Palliative Education and Consultancy Services....
Western Australian election results
May 26, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan): Speaking of a different approach to drugs, just very quickly on another matter I would like to congratulate Brian Walker and Sophia Moermond from the Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party in WA. I was able to be there on Monday for their swearing-in as upper house MPs in the Parliament of Western Australia. The party is well and truly the third force in WA’s politics, having leapfrogged all other minor parties at the recent election. It shows Australian attitudes to cannabis have changed significantly in the past few years, and I have seen this as the...
New Zealand Drug Foundation Symposium
May 26, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:47): I had the great honour to address the annual symposium held by the New Zealand Drug Foundation, Through the Maze: On the Road to Health, at the New Zealand Parliament two weeks ago. It was a fascinating program that discussed the politics of shifting to a health-based approach to drugs. I would like to thank Kathy Errington, executive director of the Helen Clark Foundation, who chaired a lively panel on how Parliament can help this important shift, alongside Labour MP Arena Williams, Chlöe Swarbrick of the Greens, and former Nationals MP and agitator Chester Borrows....
Mardi Grass
May 5, 2021
Ms PATTEN: Just quickly on another matter, I was unable to attend the annual MardiGrass festival in Nimbin last weekend, but I did hear it was a great success and cannabis activists from around the country came together for a united call for action on drug law reform.
I would like to make a special shout-out to the New South Wales police, who yet again decided to target the event through their so-called random drug tests, where they stopped every single car—randomly—going to the festival. It is yet again another massive overreach from the New South Wales authorities.
Fiona Patten...
Change Our Game pride match
May 5, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:48): On Sunday I had the great pleasure of attending Change Our Game Celebrating Pride in Women’s Footy, and this was at the Mail Oval in Parkville. It was hosted by my team, the Fitzroy Football Club, and the Melbourne University Women’s Football Club. The pride celebration, lunch and game were a brilliant way to show our support for the LGBTI footy community, and although it was not Fitzroy’s day it was a great day. All profits from the lunch went to Queerspace Youth at Drummond Street, which is a peer-led program for queer,...
Backtrack Youth Works
Apr 29, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (10:56): I too feel very privileged to rise here today in this historic setting of the Legislative Council’s sitting in Bright. I think it is really apt that we are here in this town named after John Bright, the radical and renowned British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1843 to 1889. He was passionate about suffrage, and after many decades of campaigning, the 1867 Reform Act was passed, giving the vote to working-class men, which was the beginning of full suffrage campaigns in the UK and here in Australia. It was in...
Western Australian election
Mar 17, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:48): I would also like to make a comment about the WA election and congratulate my sister party the Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party for winning their first seat in the Legislative Council in Western Australia. I very much look forward to working with them and sharing our knowledge.
Fiona Patten MP Leader of Reason Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Members statement 17/3/21
...March 4 Justice
Mar 17, 2021
Ms PATTEN: On Monday I was so proud to be one of the tens of thousands of women who came together across the country for the Women’s March 4 Justice to say, ‘Enough’. It was an emotional day, but there was such a strong feeling of solidarity. We saw women from the second wave joining women from the third wave of feminism, women from the second wave wondering why we are still marching for equality and why we are still marching to be safe in the streets. We are simply sick of having to highlight these issues. We are entitled...
Maria Spadaro
Mar 3, 2021
Ms PATTEN: I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Maria Spadaro, who died tragically after being struck by a car on Aberdeen Street in Reservoir on 16 February. She had lived in Reservoir since migrating from Italy in 1965. She is deeply missed and was a stalwart at the Preston Market as well as the Broadway markets. After her grandmother’s death, Teresa Hermence was stunned by the outpouring of grief for Maria.
I never realised how loved she was until I went to the street where the accident happened and someone from every single house came...
Pennington Institute
Mar 3, 2021
Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (09:49): Today I rise to congratulate the Penington Institute, Australia’s leading independent voice of reason on drug policy, on the launch of their new community and peer education campaign to address the evolving health risks faced by people who use drugs in the context of COVID-19. The campaign, delivered in collaboration with Harm Reduction Victoria, has been developed following extensive consultation with people who use drugs, frontline workers and research experts. The first set of resources launched has a focus on GHB, an increasing source of drug-related harm around Australia. Education is the key to reducing...