Specific teachings around consent first come in years 7 and 8,where students will now be asked to examine how respect,consent,empathy and valuing diversity can influence the nature of relationships. In year 9 and 10,this is expanded to include the role of power and strategies for challenging disrespectful attitudes.
In a revised non-mandatory section,there are further examples of how teachers can deliver this content. For kindergarten to year 2 students,this includes suggestions on asking permission,negotiation,assertiveness skills and interpreting verbal cues and body language. In years 3 to 6,this might involve consent in the context of sharing information or images on social media and understanding the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
ACARA’s website said high school students could learn “how power imbalances within a relationship can create a dynamic where coercion,intimidation and manipulation can occur,leading to non-consensual or inappropriate behaviour”.
Phil Lambert,former general manager of the Australian curriculum and deputy chair of Our Watch,said the mandatory dot points on power and consent in secondary years were a positive development. But the curriculum was weaker than it could be as the more detailed examples were still optional.
Changes in the mandatory Health and Physical Education syllabus
- Year 7-8 original dot point:investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and wellbeing
- New:examine the roles that respect,consent and empathy play in developing respectful relationships
- Year 9-10 original dot point:investigate how empathy and ethical decision making contribute to respectful relationships
- New:evaluate the influence of respect,empathy,power and consent on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships
“Each of those words[power and consent] are open to interpretation – we saw that clearly withthe milkshake video. We don’t quite go to the explicitness that is needed,I believe. If you really want someone to teach something,you can use the word ‘including’:‘including relating to sexual relationships’ or ‘including relating to gender-based violence’,” he said.
“There’s still a way to go. With these changes,does it mean all students will learn about sexual consent in relationships? The answer is no. It will be up to leaders at state and territory level and even in schools to make sure they’re addressed.”