[VarenHokalos]

Australian Sex Party gets all-clear
AAP August 8, 2009, 8:36 pm Send


Sex and politics have officially come together, with the Australian Sex Party obtaining approval from the Australian Electoral Commission for registration as a political party.

The commission, which announced the registration on its website, said it had received several objections.

The party's convenor and likely future candidate Fiona Patten said the approval was evidence the commission cared about free speech "and the democratic rights of various groups in the community".

"One of the reasons for establishing the party was to provide a positive platform for sexual issues amongst the negative notions of sex that most politicians and political parties have," she said in a statement on Saturday.

"The fact that the AEC spent so much time considering the word `sex' further exhibits our need for honest and open discussion about sexual matters - be they censorship, education, health or discrimination ones."