She championed sexual rights and health movements for more than 20 years, particularly on HIV/AIDS, after initially starting out as a small business owner with her own fashion label.

During her time as a Victorian MP, Patten has been credited for playing pivotal roles in achieving social reforms in Victoria, with examples including the passage of Victoria's assisted dying legislation, the trial of a medically supervised drug injecting room in Richmond, relaxing laws for ride-share companies such as Uber and establishing buffer zones for abortion clinics to keep protesters away from patients and staff.

The first boutique was opened in Yarralumla in the late 1980s, where she sold her own fashion creations as well as the designs of colleagues in Sydney.

During the early 1990s recession in Australia, interest in Patten's expensive collection was received largely from workers in the sex industry.

Patten was employed as an outreach speaker and would once a week visit brothels to teach the women about safe sex.

Her initial encounter began at Tiffany's Palace in Canberra, where she had intercourse with a client when another worker was unavailable.

[8] In 1992, Patten and her partner, Robbie Swan, established the Eros Association, a peak body for the adult industry.

[14] The National Museum of Erotica collected works from the likes of Brett Whiteley, Charles Blackman, Salvatore Zofrea, Lesbia Thorpe, Richard Larter, Mario Azzopardi, and more historically Mihály Zichy.

[16] The museum also displayed a collection of sex toys, including dildos, vibrators and other mechanical devices dating back to the late 1800s.

Patten contested the second election for representation in the multi-member single constituency Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly as part of the Hare-Clark Independent Party.

[12] In 2009, Patten founded the Australian Sex Party, which began by focusing on law reform for the sex industry, but soon "broadened [its] platform to include supporting voluntary euthanasia, same-sex marriage, decriminalising cannabis for personal use, greater transparency in government through freedom of information laws, and increasing people’s right to privacy.

Her campaign was based on opposing Greens Victoria candidate Clive Hamilton's proposal for an ISP-level Internet filter which would block access to websites containing RC-rated content—that is, legal material which is banned from sale, trade or public exhibition due to its extreme nature.

In December 2018, Patten put forward a legislative bill to legalise cannabis in the state of Victoria.

The bill passed to repeal offences and criminal penalties for consensual sex work between adults.

Patten has been referenced as having led Victoria's review into decriminalising the industry and been fighting for reforms for 40 years.

[32] In March 2024, Patten announced that Reason was to be dissolved and that she had no plans for a political comeback in the 2026 Victorian state election.

[36] Patten was awarded the 2020 Australian Humanist of the Year at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 September 2021) for her achievements in leading debate and securing legislation on many issues of concern to humanists, particularly end of life, abortion safety, sexual health and drugs of addiction.