National study on young people's attitudes towards consent and sex education

Under the direction of the National Children’s Commissioner, the Children’s Rights Team at the Australian Human Rights Commission has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Education to conduct a study on secondary students' experiences of, and attitudes towards, relationships, sexuality, and consent education in Australia.

The study also aims to examine young people's awareness and understanding of issues surrounding respectful relationships and consent.

The project forms part of the Australian Government’s agenda to support schools in educating children about the importance of respectful relationships and positive consent, and to help shift attitudes and behaviours of young people to prevent violence against women and children.

The Commission has experience in safely conducting surveys and direct consultations with children and young people around a wide range of topics.

This study will include the perspectives of young people and other key stakeholders through engagement with youth advisory groups and other experts.

Findings from the study will establish a point in time understanding of young people’s experiences and help to inform improvements to the national curriculum and respectful relationships, sexuality and consent education policy in Australia.

Further information about the survey will be shared on this page in coming months.

Support

For children and young people:

• If you’re feeling upset and need to talk to someone, you can call Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
• Webchat options and forums are also available:
  • Beyond Blue (for people aged 12-25)  
  • Reach out (for people aged 18-25)

For parents/caregivers:

If you are raising a teenager and would like to learn more about discussing relationships, sexuality and consent with your child, Raising Children offers free resources.

Enquiries

The research team can be contacted at studentsurvey@humanrights.gov.au