“I’ve had most of the 20 odd short stories inside me for years and every now and then they’d put pressure on my creative colon and beg to be released..”
After decades spent on the fringes of politics, publishing and Australia’s sex industry, Robbie Swan finally tells the stories he could never quite leave behind.
Part memoir and part social history A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Sex Party is a collection of short stories drawing on Swan’s 25 years as a magazine editor and parliamentary lobbyist for the adult industry, a world where censorship battles, moral crusades, unlikely friendships and political absurdities collide daily. In the book, he reveals the human side of an often-misunderstood industry: the humour, the resilience and the strange, sometimes surreal encounters that shaped a generation of activists and outsiders.
Spanning half a century and bookended by the creation of the Australian Sex Party with his partner, trailblazing MP Fiona Patten these stories chart how a life spent challenging taboos and fighting hypocrisy ultimately helped reshape public debate and law reform.
Wry, candid and funny, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the remarkable profiles of people behind the intersection of sex, politics and power.
Robbie Swan is a former national magazine editor turned political strategist and long-time advocate for free speech and civil liberties. He is the co-founder of the Australian Sex Party, leading national campaigns for Australia’s adult industry. He spent more than 25 years navigating the complex intersection of sex, politics and censorship. Robbie brings decades of frontline experience lobbying governments, shaping policy and challenging moral and political hypocrisy.
Fiona Patten is a pioneering activist and former politcian who made history as the first former sex worker elected to public office. As co-founder of the Australian Sex Party, she served nearly a decade in the Victorian Parliament, driving progressive reforms across equality, health and civil liberties.
* A sharp, darkly funny insider account of the sex industry’s collision with politics, censorship and everyday Australian life by Robbie Swan, a former national magazine editor turned political lobbyist for Australia’s adult industry.
* Written by veteran editor and strategist Robbie Swan - alongside his partner and co-creator of the Australian Sex Party - trailblazing Victorian MP Fiona Patten.
* Combines memoir, investigative journalism and true stories gathered over two decades on the front lines of Australia’s sex law reform.
* Offers behind-the-scenes access to political campaigns, parliamentary battles and media controversies.
* Explores big themes: free speech, morality, censorship, power and personal freedom while balancing satire and seriousness.
* Features real-life scandals, threats, break-ins and high-stakes legislative fights that ties into the rise of the Sex Party and the election of Fiona Patten, one of Australia’s most influential independent MPs.
* Appeals to readers of current affairs, political memoir, social history and culture writing.
* Comparable to gonzo-style narrative journalism in the tradition of Hunter S. Thompson and long-form political exposés.
Publicity:
* The Authors will generate strong interest in national media, with media already being locked in.
* The book will also be supported by upcoming events (in Canberra and more to be announced), targeted outreach to the Sex Party and Reason Party distribution lists and engagement across social media where Fiona has very strong followings (including over 20k Facebook followers).
