In this submission Our Watch responds to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee as part of its recent inquiry into current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia.

As an organisation with extensive experience and expertise in the primary prevention of gender-based violence within the education system, the focus of Our Watch’s submission relates specifically to one particular term of reference, the impact of consent laws on consent education within Australian schools.

Our Watch’s feedback highlights the existing evidence on the place of consent law in consent education, points to limitations with a reliance only on teaching legal definitions of consent, and outlines opportunities to strengthen consent education in Australia.