Thank you all for coming to our launch today for the Broadmeadows by-election. There are a few policies I would like to highlight which are relevant to this Broadmeadows campaign.

Freedom of and freedom from religion and keeping politics secular is a core Sex Party policy. With high religious diversity, this is centrally important for Broadmeadows. This includes concern for the chaplains in schools program as well as the influence of Christian parties and lobby groups on politicians.

Drug law reform is long overdue for Victoria. Drug use and addiction should be treated as a health issue, not a criminal one. It is time that we moved beyond the war on drugs rhetoric, to policy which addresses the causes of drug use.

The rapid expansion of police powers, such as stop and search without cause, and access to full transport use history via Myki without a warrant, are two alarming examples. The people of Broadmeadows, and Victoria generally, need their rights and freedoms to be protected by adequate checks and balances on police power.

Public transport is a fundamental public service which is badly in need of improvement, particularly in the Broadmeadows electorate. The Sex Party wants 24 hour public transport on weekends, an upgrade of signaling technology which is badly outdated, and the separation of V-Line and metropolitan train services. All of these things will drastically improve service quality and accessibility to Broadmeadows.

As the only (known) woman running in this by-election, I am proud to have fantastic women’s policies to advocate. These broadly include; sex and relationship education, support for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, access to reproductive and sexual health services, GP education to ensure quality of service delivery, and support for women and people who work with women and families who are affected by female genital mutilation.

The Sex Party is the youngest political party in Victoria. We are a proud civil liberties party and advocate for a reduction of government intervention into people’s private lives. This aligns well with the young, diverse and vibrant population of Broadmeadows. Broadmeadows is broadminded, and the Sex Party is the broadminded choice in the coming by-election.