Mandatory: Consent education to be taught in all schools from next year

The decision was confirmed by Senator Jonathon Duniam on behalf of the federal Education Minister Dan Tehan in Senate estimates on Thursday.

Parent Helen Mundy welcomed the move but said any curriculum changes would need to be made from a "trauma-informed lens".

"To me, trauma-informed consent means promoting empowerment ... so students can move from a place of silence to being able to challenge misconceptions about what is and isn't consent," she said.

Mrs Mundy, who is the president of the Wagga High School parents' and carers' association, based in NSW's Riverina, said consistency in the curricula of both public and private schools will be important.

"We are trying to educate the community at large, not just the children of one group," she said.

"Because the whole issue is that ... domestic violence, consent issues, and issues around sexual assault are community-wide."

Wagga Christian College principal Phillip Wilson said he was waiting to see the details of the curriculum change, which would be released after education ministers meet in April.

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He said his school already teaches consent in physical education and health classes, as well as through Christian ethics and studies classes.

"That includes what relationships look like, what we think is a suitable way to approach relationships, and what happens when relationships don't really work well," Mr Wilson said.

"At the moment, I don't see where it changes anything because we're already seeing that consent is such an important part of relationships.

"For us ... it's about sharing some of those stories and empowering people to be able to talk about what meaningful relationships look like."

The push to make consent a mandatory topic in schools has been spearheaded by former Sydney private school student Chanel Contos.

In February 2021 Ms Contos was inundated with responses to an Instagram poll asking followers if they or someone they knew had experienced sexual assault "from someone who went to an all boys school".

The poll led to Ms Contos launching the 'Teach Us Consent' petition which received over 44,000 signatures and 6,700 people sharing their stories of sexual assault.

In an Instagram post, Ms Contos said the new curriculum will "incorporate comprehensive consent education including an understanding of gendered stereotypes, coercion, and power imbalances".