Victorian Primary And Secondary Schools Will Have Mandatory Lessons On Sexual Consent

Students at Victorian public schools will soon have mandatory lessons on sexual consent.

While state schools already cover consent in their curriculum, the government has realised that more attention needs to be paid towards the topic and ensure it gets drilled into students.

Employment Minister Jaala Pulford said: "This will build on the current program which is significant and does cover consent.

"But what we're hearing from students is that they believe that an expansion and a greater depth to this training is required."

The new look lessons are part of the Respectful Relationship program and will let students in primary school know about what constitutes inappropriate touching, while those in high school will be taught how to accept and say no.

The finer details of what will be learned in the new lessons is yet to be ironed out.

However, the Employment Minister is confident it will address the problems we're seeing today.

"We'll work with education experts and also young people to understand where the opportunities are for the best possible education for boys and girls, and people who are almost young men and young women, in the school system in a way that's age appropriate but also provides a very deep understanding for everyone about what consent means and why it matters," she said.

This is also off the back of former Sydney high school student Chantel Contos launching a massive online petition.

The Kamala alum called for consent to be taught earlier in schools so that it could stamp out bad behaviour before it becomes common place.

It amassed a whopping 38,000 signatures, according to the ABC, and also saw thousands of people come forward with allegations of sexual assault, rape and inappropriate behaviour.

Ms Pulford is confident the expansion of the program will result in real-world change.

"(Respectful Relationships) is proven to make a real difference and is a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence," she said.

"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."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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