MELBOURNE — Fiona Patten — a member of Parliament in Australia and leader of the Reason Party (formerly the Sex Party) — has announced the release of her memoir, “Sex, Drugs and The Electoral Roll.”
The book, published by Allen and Unwin and released today, contrasts her life as a lobbyist for Australia’s sex industry over two decades, with her life as a politician in Victoria’s upper house.
“I’ve tried to write an honest account of what it’s like for someone to come from a very un-parliamentary background, into a balance of power position in an Australian Parliament,” Patten said. “There are many similarities between my old career and my new one — although you are much more likely to be screwed in politics these days than in the sex industry. Machine politics, revenge and religion have all made politics a very toxic environment to be in.”
Patten documents her arraignment on contempt charges at Parliament, being raped as a teenager and being slut-shamed on her first day in Parliament. She also reveals her job satisfaction in working as a sex worker and then a lobbyist for the sex industry and how she interacted and worked with senior party officials to keep X-rated films legal. Patten also devotes a chapter to sex and disability and her friendship with a young women with cerebral palsy.
Her relationships with politicians and porn stars, her public debates with morals campaigners and some hilarious situations on the campaign trail are all covered. As is her open marriage of 25 years and her four highly successful years in the Victorian Upper House where, as a cross bencher, she has initiated four major bills that have all passed into law.
The book is available in Kindle from from Amazon or in printed form in Australia from booktopia.com.au.