Consent education will be mandatory across Australia after education ministers from around the country unanimously agreed to implement an holistic and age-appropriate consent curriculum.
The announcement comes exactly one year after consent advocate Chanel Contos appealed to her network on social media asking if they or someone close to them had been sexually assaulted during their school years.
The callout attracted significant attention and saw Ms Contos launch the ‘Teach Us Consent’ campaign with her petition for better consent education in schools, attracting more than 44,000 signatures.
“This monumental change has only been made possible because of the tens of thousands of voices that have supported this movement over the last 12 months, the countless hours of volunteer support, and the foundation that was laid before by pioneering activists in this space,” Ms Contos wrote on her Instagram.
"After over 44,000 signatures, more than 6,700 testimonies of sexual assault, and countless hours of volunteer work and support, we are very happy to announce that we did it."
Amid the year-long campaign, the Victorian and New South Wales governments had already agreed to make consent education mandatory, but this only bound state schools to the plan.
Today’s announcement in Senate Estimates means all Australian schools, including independent schools, will be bound by the new curriculum.
In Kindergarten or in “foundation” years, students will be taught generally about seeking permission and respectful relationships. Older students will learn about consent, power imbalances, gender stereotypes, and coercion.
Speaking to The Feed Ms Contos said she was elated and still in shock by the news.
“It's pretty crazy to think every single Australian student from next year until forever is going to learn about consent,” Ms Contos said.
Ms Contos, and her campaign ‘Teach Us Consent’, will be setting up a Centre for Sex Equality at The Australia Institute in Canberra.
“I'm going to continue to work closely with governments, even in my new role at the Australia Institute to ensure that we're adequately measuring this progress.
Ms Contos said her new role will see her closely assessing that the material is adequate and push to ultimately see a reduction of sexual assault in the community.
“There’s always going to be more to do.”
If you would like to make contact with a counsellor, or any other form of support, call the Victims Access Line on 1800 633 063 or Rape Crisis on 1800 424 017. A trained counsellor can discuss your needs and refer you to someone who can help.
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence or sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at . supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
