Education on consent will be made mandatory in all Australian schools, after state and federal ministers unanimously agreed to enshrine it in the curriculum.
The move was confirmed by Senator Jonathon Duniam on Thursday and comes after a year of extensive public pressure.
One of the women behind this pressure was Chanel Contos, a former Sydney private school student.
READ MORE: Chanel Contos receives Young People’s Medal at Human Rights Awards.
In February 2021, Ms Contos polled her Instagram followers and asked if they or someone close to them had been sexually assaulted by someone when they were at school.
After more than 200 people responded with “yes” in just 24 hours, Ms Contos launched an online petition calling for more holistic and earlier consent education in Australia.
The petition has since gained 44,000 signatures, with more than 6,600 people sharing their stories of sexual assault.
READ MORE: Chanel Contos’ petition forces NSW Parliament to debate the state’s sex education curriculum.
On Instagram, Ms Contos celebrated Thursday’s announcement.
“This monumental change has only been made possible because of the tens of thousands of voices that have supported this movement,” she wrote. “We did it.”
Education ministers are due to meet in April to finalise the new curriculum, which is set to be taught from the 2023 school year onwards.
READ MORE: Chanel Contos’ petition sparks sex education changes across Australian schools.
Source: ABC News.
