MELBOURNE, Australia — Sex Party President Fiona Patten will run for a seat in Australia's senate in the 2013 election, she disclosed to XBIZ this week.
Patten, who leads Australia's Eros Association, the nation's adult retail and entertainment group, last ran for a seat in the Senate in 2010 but couldn't pull off a victory and trailed by only a few thousand votes.
"If successful in becoming a senator, this push would not only give our industry a political voice in Australia but also in some international forums," Patten told XBIZ.
After the party's first federal election contest in 2010, Patten claimed that the Sex Party was "now the major minor party in Australian politics."
Patten's run for office comes at a time when the adult entertainment and retail industries in Australia are on a steady climb, she said.
"We have an increasingly cohesive and mature industry that is nimble and able to meet the changing needs and desires of its customers," she said. "Our dollar looks like staying very strong, which is bad for Australian business but great for international sites looking to attract a customer with a spare dollar in their pocket."
As for national policy, Patten noted that while the government has pretty much shelved its "idiotic" ISP-based Internet filter policy, the online adult industry should stay vigilant.
"Other countries around the world are looking at options to 'protect the children' and submit to the wishes of fundamental feminism and religion," she said. "For the first time we are seeing debate about Internet content in the U.N. Most countries do not have the protection of a First Amendment."
Australia's federal election is slated for late November.
Patten will be attending XBIZ 360 next week, as well as the XBIZ Awards to hand out the Eros award.
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