What's in a name? A little, but not too much, according to Sex Party founder and Victorian MP Fiona Patten, who is deregistering her party and reforming under a new banner.
After two and a half years of success in the Victorian Parliament and several tilts at federal politics, the national Sex Party will become the Reason Party.
Ms Patten said the new party would have a broader set of policies to appeal to "reasonable" voters at a time when politics is lurching to the far right and left.
"The extremists are really taking the lead in Australian politics at the moment and unless we fill that vacuum with something else they will continue to take over politics,'' Ms Patten said.
"So I'm hoping for a voice that is reasonable that represents the community.
"You just have to look at what is going on in federal politics last week and in recent months to see that people are going to become totally disengaged with politics, even more than they already are.
"And there needs to be another voice in that fray."
Ms Patten has enjoyed success from the Victorian Upper House crossbench, securing protester buffer zones around abortion clinics and pressuring the Government on Uber laws.
She hopes to secure more MPs in Victoria's Upper House at next year's state election, as well as press for Senate spots when the next federal poll is held.
Party's support based on policy, not 'sex': Patten
Ms Patten said her party would continue to be secular, work with all parties in non-partisan ways and be prepared to listen to all ideas.
Signature issues such as voluntary euthanasia and drug reform will remain central to the party's platform.
Political pundits warned losing the Sex Party moniker could cost the party votes from disengaged voters who think it is funny to vote for the party with "sex" in its name.
But Ms Patten said she was not fazed.
"It is really fantastic that people are worried that the sensible Sex Party is going to go all radical with reason," she said.
"I think most people who have voted for myself or the party in the past have voted predominantly for our policies."
The Sex Party won just 1.55 per cent of the Senate primary in Victoria at last year's federal poll, while at the 2014 state election it won 2.6 per cent in the Upper House.
