Statements

When it comes to reducing the harms from smoking, Australia finds itself cast as the global village idiot—clinging to policies that perpetuate harm, empower criminals, and squander opportunities to save lives. Last month, I flew to Warsaw to accept the Michael Russell Award for advancing tobacco harm reduction. I prefaced my acceptance speech by apologising…

It might seem like a one issue party but I’m not a single-issue person.  In 2009 when I launched the Australian Sex Party, many people saw ‘sex’ as ‘the’ issue. Fast forward to my election to the Victorian Parliament in 2014 and in the eight years I spent there as the Member for Northern Metro,…

 Legalise Cannabis Party Proposes Australia-wide Alcohol Bans and Immediate Dry Zones Reintroduced across Victoria Victorian senate candidate for Legalise Cannabis, Fiona Patten, is calling for alcohol bans to be adopted across the country, starting with immediate ‘dry zones’ re-introduced in Victoria. ‘Members of Parliament in both state and federal politics tell the Legalise Cannabis Party…

Cannabis use in regional Victoria is outpacing the cities—and that groundswell of supportcould help the Legalise Cannabis Party secure its first-ever Senate seat.This weekend, the Legalise Cannabis Party and Lead Senate Candidate, FionaPatten will be visiting Wodonga, Wangaratta and Shepparton —regional hubs thathave demonstrated strong support for the Legalise Cannabis Party. Patten brings significant political…

By Matthew Schulz, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia Veteran politician Fiona Patten knows what it takes to win in politics, having achieved a string of progressive social reforms as a former Victorian MLC and leader of the Australian Sex Party, later renamed Reason Australia. Read the full article here.

Well, I’m back on home turf in Victoria after a two-week fact-finding jaunt in New York, and I’m high with optimism (it can’t still be those brownies??).  Fun fact; Australia legalised cannabis for medical use nine months before the state of New York back in 2016.   New York then legalised cannabis for recreational adult use…

Did you know cannabis was made illegal in Australia in 1926, even though cannabis wasn’t considered a problem in Australia at the time? Like a lot of newbie nations under British rule, we jumped on board and signed treaties willy nilly, hoping to look compliant and make the big players proud. Enter the 1925 Geneva…

Legalise Cannabis Senate candidate for Victoria Fiona Patten is in the United States on a week long fact-finding mission to investigate cannabis legalisation in the state of New York. New York legalised the medicinal use of cannabis in 2016, following with ending the prohibition for recreational use in 2020. The ongoing tour has highlighted interesting…