‘Parents need to step up’: Labor to launch $40m sexual consent campaign to combat ‘confusion’

Parents should educate themselves about sexual consent so they can teach their kids about it, the federal government says, with a new $40m national campaign encouraging adults to learn about the issue to address “confusion”.

The consent education advocate Chanel Contos said it was “not enough” simply to teach children about the issue in schools, saying parents also needed to step up and talk to their kids about consent. She encouraged parents to educate themselves and speak to other adults about consent.

“When we don’t have these sorts of conversations, young people can be left unsafe,” Contos said.

“It makes complete sense to be unsure about how to have this conversation about consent, especially if your parents never had it with you. But that is no excuse to not go and learn.”

The social services minister, Amanda Rishworth, will launch the new consent campaign on Sunday. The campaign centres on the message “if we don’t know the answers, how will our kids”, asking adults to inform themselves so they can have appropriate conversations with their children.

“Australians know that sex without consent is wrong, however, there can be high levels of confusion around the definition of consent, and who is accountable in non-consensual scenarios,” Rishworth’s office said in a statement.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

The government pointed to statistics showing one in five Australian women and one in 16 men had experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Women were most likely to experience sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner.

Rishworth said many parents may not feel comfortable talking to their kids about consent, even as she pointed to research showing the vast majority of Australians thought adults needed to talk about it.

“Learning about consent isn’t just about reducing harm, it is about providing the next generation with skills to have safe, healthy relationships for life,” the minister said.

“This national campaign encourages people to learn more about consent, talk about it with other adults, and ultimately build a shared community understanding of the topic for the benefit of the next generation.”

The major campaign will run on TV, online and in cinemas for the next year, asking adults to talk to each other and their kids about consent. It will be accompanied by a new website, consent.gov.au, with new interactive quizzes and what the government calls “Misconception Cards”, which will debunk common myths about consent.

The assistant social services minister, Justine Elliot, said there were “contradictory messages and myths around consent”, saying the government wanted to provide “clarity and consistency on the messaging”.

The campaign was informed by 81 group sessions and more than 2,000 surveys of young people and adults, including minors as well as parents and family members.

According to findings shared by the government, around half of those surveyed felt “conflicted” about understanding issues around consent, or had low confidence in being able to discuss it. Around half also believed it was difficult for men to know what to do, as well as an inconsistent understanding of consent between men and women.

Contos, the founder of Teach Us Consent, advocated for consent to be taught in schools. She is an ambassador for the new campaign, calling it a significant step in “normalising public conversations” about the issue.

“Conversations with boys are criti

cally important because, currently in Australia, the most common demographic to perpetrate sexual violence is a 15- to 19-year-old male. That is devastating, and it’s on the rise,” Contos said.

“So we’re talking about respectful relationships, talking about consent, ensuring they know it is needed, teaching them how to ask for it, and more importantly than anything, teaching them how to accept a no. And that can be done from a really young age.

“Whilst it’s amazing that consent education is mandated in Australia in schools, I don’t think that’s enough. I think that parents really need to step up and be willing to have these conversations with children regularly as they come up, and so that they know they have a safe place to go if they’re ever in trouble. As parents, you are the best person to deliver tailored education to your children by consistently reinforcing those conversations.”

• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html