Victoria’sEducation Minister James Merlino also criticisedthe website on Tuesday,saying the resource was a “big fail” and should be remade.
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“I was pretty disappointed,” he said. “The feedback I’ve heard from students is they’re just confused about what it’s even trying to say.
“It’s not a resource I’ll be recommending to Victorian schools. They completely missed the mark and I won’t be recommending that our schools use them.”
A statement from federal education department secretary Dr Michele Bruniges on Tuesday afternoon said two videos had been removed “in response to community and stakeholder feedback”.
“The website is designed to be a live and dynamic resource,with content added,removed,and modified,to ensure it remains current and appropriate,” she said.
“The department will continue to engage with experts to evaluate the materials that appear on the website to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect current experiences and community issues.”
In a statement it released on Monday,the Education Department said the content on The Good Society website had been created and reviewed by experts.
“Community members,teachers,and school leaders were also consulted to ensure the content was engaging for students and consistent with community standards,” a spokesman said.
But national violence prevention agency Our Watch,which was consulted on the materials in late 2017 and early 2019,said it had not been asked to use or endorse the final product.
“Our Watch advocates for a whole-of-school approach to violence prevention education that addresses the gendered drivers of violence,” it said.
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The federal government’s response to the teenage sexual assault issue,revealed by former Sydney student Chanel Contos through her online petition in February,has so far been to promise these Respect Matters resources and commit to the Australian Curriculum review,which will include a review of consent education.
But several experts and the federal Greens have called for a “whole of school” approach to gender inequality in school environments rather than just curriculum reform,such as through the Our Watch respectful relationships program.
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