All Victorian State Schools Are Getting Mandatory Sexual Consent Education Classes

Trigger warning: this article discusses sexual assault, violence and death.

On Sunday, acting Premier James Merlino announced that as a part of the Victorian Respectful Relationship program, all state schools will soon implement mandatory sexual consent classes for all students from as early as Term 2.

The inclusion of consent in the Victorian curriculum comes after concerns across Australia that the issue is not being tackled head-on or from a young enough age.

Right now, Australia is in the middle of a massive women’s rights movement, with people all over the country coming together to protest violence and sexual assault against women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of colour.

The Women’s March 4 Justice, and the discussion around consent and sexual assault has been brought on by a number of topical things happening globally.

This includes several sexual assault allegations made about government members and staff as well as sexual misconduct in the parliament house building.

These events are also topical due to International Women’s Day—which was just a few weeks ago—and the disappearance and alleged murder of British woman, Sarah Everad.

The Victorian Respectful Relationships program previously just focused on healthy relationships, sexuality and STIs but the updated version is set to explicitly include a section on how to give, ask for and accept consent.

It will also likely include how to navigate power imbalances, alcohol, drugs, age and situations where someone might not understand what a sexual act or consent is.

"I would encourage every other state and territory and all schools to approach this issue in the same way: listen and take action. Because our students deserve to be heard,” Mr Merlino said in a statement on Sunday.

"It is a program that should be rolled out nationwide. But we have to listen to students, who say they want and need a greater focus on this issue in the classroom.

"It is why we will mandate the teaching of consent in all government schools in an age-appropriate way."

This decision comes as no surprise because back in February, former Kambala School student Chanel Contos started a petition calling for consent in sex education classes to be introduced to students from a younger age.

The petition came after she posted a poll to her Instagram account, asking her followers this question: "If you live in Sydney: have you or has anyone close to you ever experienced sexual assault from someone who went to an all-boys school?"

In just a few hours, Contos received over 300 responses to the poll, with a staggering 72 per cent of replies answering "yes".

On 1 March, the petition had over 20,000 signatures and nearly 1,500 testimonies—some from girls as young as 13. 

On top of this, the ABC’s panel discussion program Q+A also aired an episode on the topic of sexual assault last week, asking members of the panel and the audience what specific age schools should be explicitly teaching kids about sexual consent.

While none of the panel members suggested an exact age, there appeared to be a unanimous agreement that sexual consent education needs to start earlier on.

If you’re still a bit foggy on what counts as consent and what doesn’t, you can learn a bit more about it here.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Header Image: Daniel Pockett via Getty Images