CARNAL NATION

The Australian Electoral Commission, responsible for approving political party registrations has approved the Australian Sex Party to field candidates in national and local elections.

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."

The party which runs on a platform of sexual freedom and free speech includes among it's goals. 

• Bring about the establishment of a truly national classification scheme which includes a uniform non-violent erotica rating for explicit adult material for all jurisdictions and through all media including the Internet and computer games.

• To overturn mandatory ISP filtering of the Internet and return Internet censorship to parents and individuals.

• To bring about the development of a national sex education curriculum for secondary schools as a first step in preventing the sexualisation of children.

• To enact national anti discrimination laws which make it illegal to unfairly discriminate against people or companies on the basis of job, occupation, profession or calling.

• To hold a referendum to create mandatory equal numbers of women in the Senate and State Upper Houses.

• To enact national pregnancy termination laws along the same lines as divorce law — which allow for legal, no-fault and guilt-free processes for women seeking termination.

• The listing of Viagra, Cialis and other drugs used to treat sexual dysfunction, on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

• To create total equal rights in all areas of the law for gay, lesbian and transsexual couples.  [Full List of Policies]