Australian Sex Party Nominates Fiona Patten for Higgins By-election

DEAKIN WEST, Australia — The Australian Sex Party will nominate its convenor and anti-censorship activist Fiona Patten for the Higgins by-election.

A by-election is held in a particular House of Representatives electorate whenever a vacancy occurs.

The organization said Patten will stand in contrast to the Liberal and Greens candidates to campaign for gay rights, a national sex education curriculum in primary and secondary schools. She also will tackle censorship issues, including the increasing influence of religion in politics and Internet filtering.

Patten also said she wants to see provisions introduced into the Electoral Act for parties to return public funding if a successful candidate resigns from the parliament for reasons other than ill health or genuine personal ones.

“Peter Costello, Brendan Nelson and the Liberal Party have caused the taxpayer to fork out over a million dollars for the Bradfield and Higgins by-elections,” Patten said. “Their only motivation has been personal aggrandizement and political advancement. The Liberal Party should now return the public funding they received when they won their seats.”

She also said that the Greens had “lurched strongly to the right” in preparing for the Higgins by-election.

“Clive Hamilton was the architect of Stephen Conroy’s plan to filter the Internet with his 2003 Australia Institute report,” Patten said. “He also subscribes to the extreme feminist view that non-violent X-rated films cause rape. It’s the same moral agenda that the Christian Democrats and Family First are running with.”

Patten said that censorship of the Internet was already at critical levels even before any national filtering scheme was in place. Many sex education, health and fertility agencies were having their sites blocked by inefficient filters.

She said the Australian Sex Party’s site had been censored by the government as well.

“This is a clear breach of the implied rights to political free speech in the Constitution and an example of how difficult it has become for anyone who deals in sexuality to operate online,” she said. “If ever we get a Clive Hamilton’s style national filter in place, the Internet will be off limits for many people.”

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

CORRECTION: Pornhub to Remain Live in Ohio, Despite AV Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo will not block access to its websites in Ohio, despite new state age verification rules that came into effect Sept. 30.

Judge Dismisses Some Claims in 'Children of Pornhub' Trafficking Suit

A United States district judge on Friday dismissed some but not all claims against Aylo in a long-running case involving CSAM allegations featured in the influential 2020 New York Times article “The Children of Pornhub.”

Pornhub Shuts Down Access in Ohio Over Age Verification

Aylo began geoblocking Pornhub across the state of Ohio on Tuesday, as the state’s age verification law goes into effect.

Arcom to Expand AV Enforcement to Smaller Adult Sites

The president of French media regulator Arcom revealed on Thursday that the agency plans to escalate its enforcement of age verification rules to include smaller adult sites, starting in late 2025 or early 2026.

Pornhub to Shut Down Access in Arizona Over Age Verification

Aylo will geoblock Pornhub across Arizona starting Sept. 26, when the state’s age verification law, HB 2112, goes into effect.

French Telecoms Mogul Ignites AV Firestorm With Free VPN, Sarcastic Tweet

French billionaire Xavier Niel, founder of telecommunications giant Iliad, sparked a heated debate this week when he appeared to admit that the company's Free Mobile wireless carrier integrated no-cost VPN into its service specifically to circumvent age verification restrictions on adult content.

UPDATED: Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

EU Advocate General: France Can Require Foreign Sites to Implement AV

An advocate general of the European Union’s Court of Justice on Thursday advised the court to rule that France may require pornographic websites based in other EU states to implement age verification in accordance with French law.

Florida AG Sues Aylo, Segpay Over State AV Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay on Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for noncompliance with HB3, the state's age verification law.

Colombian Court Sides with Performer Esperanza Goméz Over IG Suspensions

Colombia’s Constitutional Court last week ruled in favor of adult performer Esperanza Gómez in her legal battle against Meta over repeated suspensions of her Instagram account.

Show More