ALP mayoral candidate Ray Smith has promised to implement a same-sex relationships register for Brisbane City Council if he’s elected at this month’s local government elections.

Smith made the pledge at a community forum at the Wickham Hotel last night which also hosted candidates for Brisbane’s Central Ward from the Greens, Australian Sex Party and Liberal National Party (LNP).

Smith said the policy was in response to a likely repeal of civil unions by the new LNP state government.

Earlier this month, Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie sought legal advice from his department, canvassing all available alternatives including a full or partial repeal of the state’s civil union laws.

Smith’s pitch to the community also included a pledge to establish an LGBTI reference committee and action plan within city council, a $30,000 annual grant to the Brisbane Pride Festival and a promise to sign the Declaration of Montreal on LGBTI human rights.

He’ll go up against incumbent LNP Lord Mayor Graham Quirk at the polls next week.

Quirk was criticised by local activists in March for approving the controversial anti-gay prayer rally – featuring the now infamous ‘hate truck’ – in Brisbane’s King George Square.

The 2012 Queensland local government elections will be held on Saturday, April 28.

Source: StarOnline

While the Australia 21 report has finally concluded that the war on drugs has proved futile, the Sex Party’s rising vote has been directly linked to its policies around drug law reform, according to its president, Fiona Patten. After preferences were distributed following the Niddrie (Vic) by election last week, the Sex Party achieved almost 10 percent of the vote.

“We are the only party to campaign for the decriminalization of all drugs," said Patten. “Our booth workers have told us that there was quite a bit of feedback on the booths about our drug policies”.

The Sex Party vote has been steadily rising since it won 2.2 percent of the Senate vote in 2010. “The madness around drugs continues to escalate with the Victorian police now forming a special ‘bong taskforce,' and last week 13 police officers in Ballarat spent the entire day raiding four shops that were suspected of selling bongs,” she added. “With community attitudes favoring decriminalization, this is a scandalous waste of police resources.”

Patten said that the regulation of drugs in Australia is increasingly moving towards the tough-on-drugs model and that American drug policy dominated Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet discussions of drug law reform. In 2006, Bronwyn Bishop headed the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services, and released a report entitled, "The Winnable War on Drugs: The Impact of Illicit Drug Use on Families."

In a bedroom somewhere in Australia, far away from Canberra, a couple undress and press record on a video camera.

And as the bed quakes, Canberra's grip on the title of national porn capital slips further into oblivion.

Erotic homemade motion pictures have become a popular pastime in bedrooms across the country.

It means husbands and wives, intimate acquaintances and casual playmates are flirting with the rule of law, and probably breaking it, according to a peak adult industry body.

The ACT is the only Australian jurisdiction where making hardcore porn films is legal. It makes lawbreakers out of couples who commit sex acts on film in other jurisdictions.

Australian Sex Party leader Fiona Patten said the result from the Great Australian Sex Census show pornography laws need a rethink.

''Maybe state governments need to reconsider some of the legislation that's making criminals out of happy couples,'' Ms Patten said.

''If it's consenting adults then why is it wrong?''

Fiona Patten, CEO of the Eros Association & Leader of the Australian Sex Party will be speaking at the second Yarra Drug and Health Forum Community Forum for 2012: ‘Kronic Hysteria: emerging drugs, the internet and the consequences of legislative controls’

Fiona will be presenting “Synthetic Cannabinoids: An Industry and Consumer Perspective”

Time/Venue:
Monday April 16th 2pm - 4pm The Reading Room - Fitzroy Town Hall – Napier Street

Themes:
• By tweaking the molecular structure of banned chemicals, new drugs have been developed that circumvent the law – or at least require the scrutinising of legislation.
• These new drugs are often professionally packaged and have been marketed online using social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
• Some of these products, such as synthetic cannabis (e.g., Kronic, Northern Lights, etc.), have been available in herbal high shops, tobacconists and adult stores.
• While clinical cases of psychosis and dependence have been reported, most use of synthetic cannabis produces no serious harm according to user reports.
• The availability of the products has created legislative chaos as authorities scramble to grapple with this phenomenon.
• What does the evidence and research have to say? How should we deal with these emergent drugs?

Other Speakers:
Stephen Bright – Psychologist at Peninsula Health & Coordinator of Addiction Studies at Curtin University: “Not for Human Consumption: Plant Food, Bath Salts, Room Deodorisers, and Everything In-between”

Monica Barratt – Research Fellow at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University: “Patterns of Synthetic Cannabinoid Use and Legislative Impacts: Results from an Online Survey of 432 Australians”

After the final presentation there will be questions and discussion in a panel format. This will be followed by afternoon tea and networking.

RSVP by April 11th please for catering purposes: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it