Never has there been a time when I wish I'd paid more attention in my high school legal studies classes than this week. I am up to my ears in legal jargon and phrases I barely understand and am trying to sort through it all to make some sense of the outrage I feel. And not just my outrage, thousands of other people seem to be sharing my same view. I am speaking about the recent decision handed down to Australian media presenter Derryn Hinch (otherwise knows an the Human Headline) by the High Court of Australia. A ruling which has seen him sentenced to home detention for five months for publicly naming a couple of serious serial sex offenders on his radio program.

This is an offence under section 42 of the serious sex offenders monitoring act. Basically, for all you people like me who are unfamiliar with legal acts, this act states that if the court believes it is in the best interest of the case and/or the victim, then documents and evidence, as well as the  victims and offenders names, are suppressed and it is illegal to publish any information that includes these things.

From what I can tell, the main reason this is done is to avoid the victim being identified. On the surface it seems fairly straightforward. Someone who has endured severe sexual abuse and trauma has a right to get on with their lives and not be hounded by the media and the public about what has happened. They have the right to move on and put the dreadful past behind them.

But, on the other hand, and what's angering so many people is, it's often seen more as protecting the abuser. No-one is allowed to know who the person is, what they did and, more importantly, where they are now, and that last part is what is concerning people; not being able to know if a serious serial sex offender lives near you and your children. Something we all know now is that sex offenders come in many forms. They aren't just the creepy guy in the trench coat hanging out in the playground, they come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life. So how do you know?

Yes, there is the Australian Sex Offender Register, but to be honest, as well as the fact that it would have no information about suppressed offenders, I noticed one big flaw in this service. You cannot actually search your specific area to see if a registered offender lives close by. You must put the name of someone you suspect in the search boxes and then the register looks to see if there are any records or files against this particular person. Without an actual name the register is basically useless. The one place that does have all this information is ANCOR – Australian National Child Offender Registry, however, unlike in America, this service is not available to the public it is only available to police.

Another slight problem I have with the registry is the fact that anyone who has ever been convicted of a sex related crime is on there. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, lets just say you're a seventeen year old guy and you have a fifteen year old girlfriend. That is illegal, because she is under the age of consent, and if you are charged with carnal knowledge you can then put on the register as a child sex offender. What about a fourteen year old girl who sends her also fourteen year old boyfriend a picture of her boobs in this “sexting” craze that has come in with the invention of cameras in mobile phones? These two children, if caught, are charged with the heinous crime of distributing child pornography, and can be put on the register for at least eight years.

In my opinion I would prefer these names, the ones of children and teenagers who have been charged with crimes like the ones mentioned above, to be suppressed. If a future employer was to type their name into the register, they would see the applicant had been charged with child sex offences and they would never get a job ever. The stigma would stick with them forever, and a silly act of teenage risk-taking and stupidity would ruin their adult lives.

So, back to the suppression orders. What do the victims of these crimes think about their attackers being allowed to live unknown within the community? Do they have a say on the suppression orders? What would happen if a victim was to identify an abuser when a suppression order is in place? Unfortunately this is information that is very hard to come by. Mainly because these cases, and the victims themselves, have been suppressed and so there is little information about them at all.

I did find one very recent story about a victim having a suppression order lifted. The story of Sascha Chandler who, at fourteen years old, was groomed and abused by a serial sex offender named Andrew McIntosh until he (Sascha) was seventeen. Fifteen years later, when Sascha became a father for the first time, he decided he could not sit silently any more and finally reported his abuser to the police.

A nationwide manhunt took place and, by a series of bizarre coincidences and a lot of luck, Andrew McIntosh was finally brought to justice. In a move that surprised some of his family and friends Sascha asked the judge to remove the suppression order, so that he could come out publicly and tell his story in the hope that it might help other victims of abuse come forward and name their  abusers.

“I can't sleep at night if I can't stand up as an adult and do my very best to stop this man,”  he said in an interview on ABC's Australian Story this month. “It allows me to truly look forward and get on with my life, knowing that he can't hurt anybody else.”

And I suppose that's the thing that really needs to be weighed up when dealing with serial offenders and their victims. When someone has the mental disease of paedophilia, they are most often incurable. According to some studies I read up to 58% of paedophiles will re-offend and one study I saw claimed that it was more like 98%. Whatever the number, they are both way too high and therefore suppressing the names, while in one way is protecting the victim and allowing them to move on, could be a very dangerous thing for every other unknowing person who comes into future contact with them.

This then bring us to the other argument I have come across many times in this research, and that is, if we remove the suppression orders what about the inevitable and subsequent vigilante attacks on the offenders? Knowing you have an offender in your area won't stop the offender from being in your area, and people often take their anger and frustration and fear out on the perpetrator, rallying outside their residence, throwing eggs, bricks and sometimes fire bombs at the house, justifying their actions with the fact that the person inside is a pervert and a child molester.

One solution is to house these incurable paedophiles in residential compounds like the old  Commonwealth Games village now more commonly referred to as the “Village of the Damned” . This compound is situated just outside of Ararat Jail and already home to at least 24 serial sex offenders, including Brian Keith Jones, also known as Mr Baldy. Most of the other residents there are under suppression laws and so their names are not available, but at least we know they are there. Under constant electronic supervision and with night-time curfews. Other than these conditions, the residents are able to move freely about the compound and, in some cases, are allowed supervised visits into the general public.

This too, though, is littered with arguments and controversy. Things like the fact that these people have served their time but are still, in effect, in prison, and the money it costs the tax payers to house them. And there is also the matter of their rights as citizens being taken away.

However, my mother always taught me that with rights come responsibilities and if you don't abide by them then you will lose your rights. To me, a known serial sex offender who has attacked many children many times and is deemed likely to re-offend automatically loses their rights. They should not be given any sort of special treatment or leeway. The overall sense I have got from reading public rhetoric, as well as news items and professional opinions, is that this is a common school of thought and compounds, like the one in Ararat, are one of the better solutions. Not only to protect the children in our community, but also the offenders from vigilante attacks.

Whichever way you look at it, it is a tricky topic, full of heated debate and strong opinions, but the one thing that comes out loud and clear is that victims must be given every opportunity in the world to be able to move on, rebuild their lives and survive.

I must say, after much research into the topic, I am still a bit confused. Would it be that hard to suppress a victim's name but still make their abuser known? Because I really do not believe these men should be protected and their names withheld. I, as a mother and a member of a very family friendly and close-knit community believe I have the right to know where these people are, and if my family might be affected by it. I also, however, believe the victims should be allowed to have a say in whether there are suppression orders put on their cases, and the nature of what exactly is suppressed.

I also wish Derryn Hinch a full and speedy recovery from his recent liver transplant and hope that (without breaking the law next time) when he returns to our airwaves after his detention he keeps on fighting the fight for victims of abuse.

I am confused. As you get to know me you'll find this is not a rare thing, lots of things confuse me. City parking signs and why people still continue to wear leggings as pants are good examples of these, but the confusion I am feeling today is different. It's a bit tummy twisting and odd and I can't quite pinpoint what it is that's making me feel it.

I guess the place to start is around 30 years ago. I was four and the best part of my day was when mum and I would have our “milk and a biscuit” and sit in the living room to watch Play School.

Ah, Play School. It was, and still is in my opinion, the best TV show for kids ever. Forget your weird, slightly nightmarish Night Gardens and your odd, orange-legginged Djs, Play School is where it's at. With their cardboard toilet tube people and their spotty kinds of days they educate, entertain and delight children and parents alike.

When I was little I had two heroes on Play School. One was the hilariously funny John Hamlin whose little asides to the parents and tendency to dress as Miss Polly had both my mother and I in stitches, and the other was Noni Hazlehurst. With her wonderful crinkly-eyed smile and her little head shrugs and winks she was like a second mum. The kind of mum who'd blow on a cut after putting Dettol on it and who would tuck you up warm and safe in bed with a story every night.

When I was a teenager I would watch it with my niece and love the fact that my childhood hero was still entertaining kids, and as a new mum in my late 20s I would watch Noni on the show with my mum and my daughter and marvel at how three generations of my family could come together and find wonder and delight in this same woman, over two decades on.

At this stage I was writing weekly for one of my favourite magazines, Australian People. With its tongue-in-cheek bogan-ness and its scantily clad models it really was one of the most fun and amusing publications to write for. It has no pretensions. It's all about boobs, bums and beer and hey, there's nothing wrong with that! We're adults, we're allowed to like boobs, bums, and beer. That's one of the perks of growing up! So imagine my dismay, my hurt and my disbelief when I picked up the paper one morning to read that Noni Hazlehurst, my childhood icon, the woman who taught me the words to Bananas in Pyjamas, was tut-tutting and wagging her finger at me and my colleagues accusing us of the most heinous crime of sexualising children.

According to her the fact that these magazines can often be seen in the eyesight of children is inappropriate and they should be moved to the back corner of the shop with the restricted R rated magazines like Hustler and Playboy.

But hang on a moment I thought as I looked at the cover of the latest People magazine,
how is THIS (People) any worse than THIS (Cosmo)?
I mean, the fact that one is marketed at teenage girls and one is marketed at adult men is a huge difference, yes, but doesn't really giver her point validity. Then I thought about some of the things I'd seen on a shopping trip earlier that day:

Bratz Dolls wearing fishnet stockings and knee-high boots (marketed at, yes you guessed it, little girls), a hot pink string bikini in a size 3 (I know models are getting skinnier and skinnier, but really, this is ridiculous), a pair of clicky clacky high-heeled Barbie brand shoes for your five year old and, maybe one of the worst things I saw that day, an advertisement for beauty and make-over parties for your little girl. I began to think about my daughter and what she is exposed to and what she sees and, more importantly, how I respond and react to the things she sees.

The thing I've learnt about kids (and I'm not just a mum, I used to be a child care worker as well) is that they are not dumb. They might be little, and they might speak in cutesy little voices, but they're a lot smarter than people give them credit for and are quite capable of telling the difference between grown up things and kids things. For example my daughter knows that she cannot have a glass of wine with her dinner. Why not? Because that's a grown up thing for mummies and daddies. She also knows that after 7:30 pm she has to go to bed. Why? Because that's mummy and daddy time. If I tell her something is for grown-ups she understands and accepts it, so if she was to ask me what the magazine on the shelf is I have quite a lot of confidence that when I tell her it's a book for grown-ups she will heed it.

When, however, she is confronted in the toy aisle with a Bratz Doll Costume, complete with off-the-shoulder peasant top and mini skirt, I'm not too sure what to say. It's the sort of costume I personally might wear to a Saints and Sinners ball, but would feel mighty uncomfortable about letting my 7 year old daughter wear to a fancy dress party.

This is what I wanted to say to Noni as I felt her disapproval in me and my chosen profession weighing heavily on my shoulders. Seriously, I felt like I used to feel when I had to tell my parents I'd been in detention for wagging; Their eyes would drop, their disappointment in me almost palpable, and I would feel so ashamed I had let them down.

I wanted to ask Noni why she was giving our children and us as parents such little credit? Why she was focusing on adult products made for adults and lumping us in with irresponsible and dare I use the phrase “corporate peodophiles” who market adult products to children. Couldn't she see the difference? And anyway, I also thought to myself, what is wrong with nudity and sexuality anyway?  It's okay for kids to know grown-ups enjoy sex. In fact, I'd rather they know it's a good thing rather than a horrible, scary, don't-do-it-or-you'll-go-to-hell thing any day.

But I said none of these things (although I may have ranted on my Facebook page about them) and I just accepted the fact that I disagreed with her and figured that, just because I felt a bit insulted by her stance, she was entitled to her opinion and I could still sing I'm a little teapot with her without feeling like I'd let down my side of the team.

Let me now take you to the bit where I become confused. By now I am sure everyone has heard of the book doing the rounds on the internet and selling highly on Amazon called “Go The F*ck To Sleep”. It's great! A wonderful little rhyme where a parent is begging their child to please stop crying and go the f*ck to sleep because it's late and the parents want to watch a movie. If you've ever had kids I can guarantee you've felt like this at one time or another. The book is beautifully illustrated and in the form of a picture book and is something I'm kind of hoping makes it under my Christmas tree this year. There is a fantastic audio version too with Samuel L Jackson reading the story in his stern, yet smooth voice which gives me wonderful tingles!

So anyway, the latest offering of this fabulous book is a video. A video of Noni Hazlehurst, sitting in an arm chair, with her beautiful crinkly-eyed smile and her Play School voice, reading the story to us, just as I remember her doing all those times over the past thirty years.

As the parent in the story gets increasingly frustrated at their child's refusal to sleep, so does Noni's voice rise and fall and her head nod and eyes smile. It really is fabulously nostalgic to watch.

But hang on, I thought again, isn't this completely hypocritcal of her? Why is a book that looks like a children's picture book, full of swear words and frustration, okay but a magazine with a girl in a swimsuit on it isn't? Is it because there isn't a bikini girl on the cover? Is it because it's funny? Is it because in Noni's mind overt swearing is more acceptable than nudity? Or is it because she knows us grown-ups are smart enough to realise that this is a book for adults and isn't one we would actually read to or give to our kids... Oh wait... Hang on...
And this is where I am confused.

To me convincing your child that a book that looks like a picture book with its gorgeous illustrations and large, easy-to-read print is actually for grown-ups is way harder than telling them that the magazine on the shop counter with the girl in the bikini on it is not for them. Personally I would much rather my daughter be comfortable in her own skin and accepting other people for theirs than her being comfortable swearing like a sailor, but maybe that's just me?

***Author's Note: A the time of just completing this little rant I went back to YouTube to find the video so I could post a link to it...

It seems YouTube have removed the video as they say it violates their policy on the depiction of harmful activities. I must say, I wonder how Noni feels about her video being censored like that? Perhaps they think it's harming children?

Is this irony or just another example of people being nannied to within an inch of their freedom of expression? Or perhaps it is a little of both.

I have spent the past two weeks interning with the Australian Sex Party, which has been fantastic. As a third year public relations student at University of Canberra, I’ve had the past three years to decide what I wanted to do. Three years ago I would have never envisaged politics.

In my first public relations class a lady named Rebecca had done her presentation on the Australian Sex Party, little did I realise that she worked here. Since that day I became quite interested in the Sex Party and what they stood for. I followed them online, watched them debate against the Family First party, watched Fiona on QandA and have done quite a few assignments on them for uni. So I thought I may as well ask if they would take on an intern.

The past two weeks have been incredible and has really opened my eyes on the world further. When thinking of a political party, you imagine a plethora of staff and unlimited resources at your whim. What I enjoyed about the Sex Party is everything you do matters, everyone is a small cohesive team which interacts, works within their means to help take on large issues. The workers that I have met here have been wonderful, they have made me feel as part of the team and have helped me when I wasn’t quite sure how to approach something.

I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in meetings, research previous polling, help with ideas for meetings and events around Brisbane Sexpo, interacting with people over the telephone, updating the database, follow the issue of Kronic and much more. This has given me an overall look at how the Australian Sex Party is run. But being able to meet Fiona was defiantly a high light, a few friends that I live with at university are definitely jealous that I had the chance to meet her.

The past two weeks have been brilliant and has given me insight into the role of public relations which will help me in my future endeavours. I would just like to say a big thank you to Robbie, Fiona, Bec, Tina and Phoebe for their help and having me around.

I’m still getting used to seeingmy mug on flyers and handing them out to people.  Smile nicely...hand out flyer...pause...“Hey, that’s you!”  People do seem to love meeting the candidate in the flesh (well, clothed flesh anyway!)

I didn’t really know what to expect when I held my hand up for this gig, but I have to say, whilst it’s hard yakka, it is great fun and I’ve found myself getting more and more into it as the campaign has progressed.

My first observation has to be a huge THANK YOU to all our Sex Party members and volunteers who have been out pounding the pavements (and pubs) with Huw and I.  When we get a group of the yellow-shirts together, we certainly make a vibrant splash in this city.  My two yellow t-shirts are without doubt the gaudiest items in my wardrobe, but they do their job magnificently.  It is about getting noticed and getting our issues out there after all.

And massive thanks as well to our interstate gang who have been both helping online from Canberra and Melbourne and arriving here in Sydney to help on the ground.

The last week (and a bit) has seen “flash mobs” and “flash pairs” down the streets of Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Potts Point and Woolloomooloo, three pub crawls (all part of the hard yakka previously mentioned), the Equal Love rally, our great campaign launch last Thursday at the Beauchamp Hotel, and numerous media interviews and photo shoots.  And all the media coverage has been really positive.  Lots of articles on the web now, and two videos from the launch. 
• Check out the videos here: Campaign Launch and Joe Hildebrand sex tape
I see the news has even made WA, so no doubt some of my former police bosses are cussing loudly.  O well, such is life!

It has only been a couple of weeks in total, but I do love the reaction of people to an ex-Detective Sergeant running for, and being a member of, the Sex Party.  O boy, do the right wing and the establishment have a problem comprehending this one!  The simple fact is that it is precisely all my law enforcement and anti-corruption years have made me the die-hard civil libertarian that I am, but this is unfathomable to some.  All the more enjoyable, therefore, to be out there fighting for our issues.

With all the work we’ve done in the streets and pubs in the last week or so, handing out heaps of flyers and talking to a vast range of people, I have to say the reaction has been fantastic.  And I’ve had some wonderful conversations with people out there in the electorate, and learnt so much more about some of the local issues.  So many people out there really do support our civil libertarian stance, and are seriously perturbed by the right wing prospect that faces NSW after next Saturday.

I joined and started working with the Sex Party about a month before the Federal election last year, so about 9 months now.  Over that time the increased awareness of us a serious political party and the lessening of what I call the “giggle factor” is truly tangible.  Whilst I’ve still encountered the occasional snigger on our rounds, the overwhelming reaction is one of genuine interest and, importantly, a concentrated read of our policy platform on the back of the flyers.  We are absolutely getting known out there and this bodes so well for the future.  Sure, some people will always look at the Sex Party name and not want to read any further, but then they are the people who would be unlikely to ever consider our policies, no matter what we are called.  For all those Australians who are prepared to look at alternative positions, and who care about their freedoms, we are truly emerging as a viable electoral option.

So, the big day is now only 4 sleeps away.  Letterbox drops are rapidly covering the electorate and we will have some more street pounding to do.  Then, on Saturday, we need every possible yellow-shirt on the polling booths in Sydney.  We have about 20 to cover for the whole day.  Our experience has shown that our vote is dramatically improved on booths where we have a smiling yellow-shirt handing out how-to-vote cards.
• Check out our video on being a polling booth volunteer

So PLEASE, PLEASE come and join us for the big final push on Saturday.  And the after party will, of course, be awesome.  I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Thank you again to everyone, and GO SEX PARTY!

My first public exposure as a candidate last night at the Central Mag candidate forum!  And it went well - plenty of applause.  A good start.

Having got registered officially as a candidate for Sydney yesterday (woohoo!), last night we managed to squeeze our way into the "meet the candidates" forum in central Sydney.  We hadn't been invited to sit on the panel - that was limited to Lord Mayor Clover Moore (the sitting independent MP), and the three candidates from Labor, Liberals and the Greens.  The Christian Democrats (a classic oxymoron if I ever heard one!) had also squeezed in at the end, so just as well the Sex Party was there to balance it out.

Well last night was not really inspiring from the privileged panel candidates if you're a Sydney voter.  Clover couldn't stop talking about her achievements as Lord Mayor.  The Green, the Liberal and the Labor candidates all gave the stock standard platforms we hear from those parties.  The only stand out exception was Sasha Blumen (Labor) who has borrowed our drug policy and told the voters that drugs should be a health issue not a criminal one.  Well, good on him, but he's not going to be popular with Labor head office for that little gem, because decriminalisation is so not their policy or their position.  They've been in power here for 16 years and have done nothing to reform the drug laws.

After the 90 minute panel for the privileged "gang of four", the Christian Democrat (his bio said he was a former sex addict? Ha!) gave some of the most right wing moralising you'll get to hear anywhere.  It was like listening to a tele-evangelist.

In my allocated 4 minutes I tried to do justice to our stand on civil liberties, equal rights (especially gay marriage, and equality and protection for sex workers), less corruption and greater transparency in government, as well as some of our local issues in the city of Sydney, namely transport and open spaces.  My two best received (judging by applause) suggestions were that, firstly, Sydney needs a full-time MP and a full-time Lord Mayor, not one in the same as with Clover.  Also my view that Barangaroo should be one big park for all residents to enjoy, not another feeding trough for property developers, brought cheers of approval from the crowd.  It was interesting that all the 4 panel candidates are pro-development of Barangaroo, including the Greens and Clover.

The Sex  Party for Sydney on 26 March!!!

Read more about the candidate forum here.

Mardi Gras turned on another fabulous Fair Day with the Sydney summer weather adding to the hot and sticky atmosphere. The Sex Party was out in force promoting and supporting LGBTIQ rights plus our unique brand of progressive politics. Candidate for the seat of Sydney Andrew Patterson was pressing the flesh for his NSW campaign along with Huw Campbell for his shot at the upper house.

Fair Day is so important on the Sex Party calendar as it enables us to beat the drum on equal rights, other LGBTIQ issues and connect with people who we believe make up a core constituency for the Party. With NSW more than likely to have a change of government and heading into a long era of conservative politics after polling day on 26th March it is vital to keep a keen focus on our and your issues. The increased influence of religion in politics is just one scary possible outcome of the NSW election and should be of concern to all civil libertarians.

It wasn’t all campaigning with our free sex toy raffles, temporary tattoos, penis wands, stickers and more adding to all the fun of the fair. Congratulations to Leanne Waldron for winning the raffle for the gals’ box of toys and to Jeff Hamilton for taking home the boys’ box. There are hours of pleasure awaiting the lucky winners and their friends. Ouch! A special thankyou to leading adult industry wholesaler Calvista Australia for donating the raffle goodies.

Of course we just can’t be at Fair Day without the fantastic support of our members and our volunteers who put in long, hot hours giving out flyers and tattooing bodies with our Vote 1 Sex message. A super-sized thankyou goes out to all of you. We hope to see you again real soon, helping out on the NSW election campaign.

Andrew Patterson: The only NSW election candidate likely to be photographed with penis wands

Looking in the back door

Getting the Sex Party on your chest

Volunteer Linda loves her work

Click here for more photos from Fair Day

Andrew Patterson has two Masters degrees, one of which is a Master of Ethics and Legal Studies, for which he wrote a dissertation aimed at establishing the moral neutrality of prostitution.  Andrew joined the ASP before the federal election in 2010, finally finding a political party which matched his social views.

1989:   “A drug is neither moral or immoral – it’s a chemical compound.  The compound itself is not a menace to society until a human being treats it as if consumption bestowed a temporary licence to act like an asshole.” – Frank Zappa, American rock legend and civil libertarian.

2011:   Hold those front pages – the husband of a NSW Cabinet Minister has been arrested for alleged possession of one ecstasy tablet.  Yes, you read that right, just ONE, bought for $20 in inner Sydney last Friday.  And what a ball-tearer of a party that was going to be, with just ONE ekky!  Can’t believe I missed it - obviously too busy at my place on the red wine.  (Coincidentally, also a drug, albeit legal, but more of that shortly, and the cask also cost me $20).  Can’t contemplate the said husband was remotely likely to “act like an asshole” either.  And on one ekky?  Please!  If Frank Zappa was still with us we would be deafened by his derisory laughter.

Yes, the news that Matthew Chesher, husband of NSW Education Minister Verity Firth, and also a government bureaucrat himself, had been caught up in a police drug operation is surely the apocalyptic stuff that will have Hollywood banging on our door for exclusive movie rights.  Forget climate change and the awful floods here in Australia and in Brazil; forget North Korea, its nukes, and its Stalinist treatment of its population; forget the daily tragedies in the sad quagmire of the Middle East; forget all manner of truly appalling human suffering across the globe.  It’s ONE ekky that we want to hear about!  And the party that we all missed, of course – Matthew getting wasted on ONE ekky and telling tantalising tales, no doubt salacious in the extreme, about the Roads Minister for whom he works – truly riveting stuff!  Again, incredibly mortified that I missed it.  Note to self – lay off the cab sav if classic parties are not to be missed.

Just what the hell are we doing in our so called “civilized and democratic” society?

The NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally, was quick to make all sorts of comments in support of her Minister, describing the said Minister’s husband’s conduct as “self-indulgent”.  Mmmm, somewhat like the red wine I’m sipping as I write this - I’m a big fan of self-indulgence!  She also said that her that her “heart goes out” to her Minister.  Other language used about the incident in the media frenzy included “disappointed”, “devastated”, and “tawdry episodes”.

Well, frankly, my heart goes out to Matthew Chesher, not the damned Minister.  The guy bought one, yes ONE, ecstasy tablet and now his life is in tatters.  I couldn’t care less for the Minister’s political woes out of this.  Matthew Chesher has lost his government job and he now faces the prospect of a criminal conviction for drug possession.  Try getting a visa to travel to the USA after that!  Guess there will also be some tense domestic issues in dealing with Verity as well.  All in all, he is going to pay an enormous price for one ecstasy tablet.  And why?

Once again, the Sex Party team were out in force at the Midsumma Carnival this weekend.

After a muggy week, Melbourne provided us with a beautiful sunny day - perfect for downing a few bevvies on the banks of the Yarra while spreading the good news!  Midsumma Carnival is always a very happy and positive event - you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in the crowd not having a good time, and it is even more special to see families of all kinds out enjoying the day together.

Always one of the most colourful political offerings, our stand attracted a consistently large crowd throughout the day with our bubbly volunteers and Swiss Navy lube give-aways.  The Strawberry-Kiwi flavour was a hit!  As with many an event before it, everyone wanted one of our 'Vote 1 Sex' tattoos and relished being sponged down by the Sexy folk.  Simon and Mia kept the punters entertained with an impromptu duet accompanied by Simon's yellow ukelele, I got a kiss from a good-natured supporter, and we all went gaga for all of the gorgeous dogs that came down with their owners - so many cute puppies...  Ok, so maybe that was just me.

In a huge breakthrough for the party, for the first time in the 18 months I've been volunteering almost everyone who stopped to say hello had heard of us, many had voted for us, and a fair few were already members!  It was such a great feeling to have people telling us what a great job we'd been doing and often even asking how they could help.  I spoke to people who were interested in helping to develop policy, people who wanted to run as candidates, and people who were dragging friends and family over wanting them to get involved.  We even proved a hit with many of the tennis crowd who were milling around!    It was incredible to be able to spend most of the day telling people how far their vote had gotten us and congratulating them for helping us to grow the Party so quickly in Victoria.

We're now even more pumped for Pride March in two weeks' time and would love to see you there!  If you would like to join us, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thank you Melbourne for yet another awesome event, and thank you to all of the volunteers and candidates who helped out - Fiona, Graeme, Christian, Douglas, Rob, Amy, Rory, Martin, Joel, Simon, Mia, Emma, Jack and everyone else...

Our stand was busy all day

We have the sexiest volunteers

Our tatts look great on everyone

We will put them anywhere

It was great to see other political parties taking part in Midsumma - but they didn't have as much fun as we did!

For more pics of our fun at Midsumma, please visit our gallery