2016-08-30
Ms PENNICUIK — To ask the Minister for Training and Skills (for the Minister for Education): Given recent media reports on the so called pornography rings at two Melbourne private schools, further reports of more than 70 Australian schools being targets for a pornography ring of teen boys and young men secretly swapping and exchanging graphic sexual images of female students and other non-consenting women and a growing incidence of boys and young men accessing online pornography according to experts in the field:
(1) what is the content of the respectful relationships program the government is rolling out to schools and does it include:
(a) the importance of consent and what constitutes healthy respectful sexual relationships and relationships generally;
(b) the importance of treating everyone with respect and dignity and the importance of boundaries; and
(c) links between pornography and violence and the harassment of women and girls;
(2) when will the respectful relationships program be fully rolled out;
(3) how many schools will the respectful relationships program be rolled out to; and
(4) will the respectful relationships program be compulsory for all schools.
Answer on 13 September 2016:
ANSWER:
I am informed as follows:
Let me state first that I am appalled and horrified by the recent revelations about the online exploitation of young people. This behaviour is abhorrent and its impact is immeasurably damaging. Schools play a crucial role in keeping all children and young people safe and protected from any form of online abuse or bullying, including online sexual exploitation.
Respectful relationships education is critical as it aims to promote positive attitudes and behaviours among children and young people, so that they are less likely to engage in sexually exploitive behaviour. Last year, the Andrews Labor Government introduced Respectful Relationships into the Health and Physical Education and the Personal and Social Capabilities strands of the Victorian Curriculum. From 2017, all government schools are required to deliver the new school curriculum, of which Respectful Relationships is a mandated component.
In April 2016, the Victorian Government invested $21.8 million over two years to rollout a holistic approach to Respectful Relationships in Victorian schools and early years services. This expands on the curriculum to include a focus on schools as community hubs, workplaces and education institutions that can promote and model gender equity in everything they do. Funding also includes the delivery of professional learning on Respectful Relationships to 4000 early childhood educators.
This year, 120 leading schools across Catholic, independent and government sectors in Victoria will be recruited to lead and drive a whole school approach to respectful relationships education and gender equality in their schools. In 2017, these schools will support up to 900 schools to do the same.
Face to face and online Respectful Relationships professional learning sessions will be delivered to early childhood educators in 2017.
Age-appropriate resources which schools can choose to use in support of the Respectful Relationships curriculum include the Department of Education and Training's Building Respectful Relationships: Stepping Out Against Gender-Based Violence (BBR) curriculum resource for Years 8-10, developed by Deakin University specifically for Victorian schools. The importance of consent and links between pornography and gender-based violence are specifically covered for Years 9 and 10 students.
An additional suite of respectful relationships education materials from Prep to Year 12 have been developed by the Department and will be available to schools shortly. Resources for the primary years will focus on treating everyone with respect and dignity, as well as help students develop skills to recognise and respond to situations in which their personal space and safety might be compromised.