'We did it': Consent education to be mandated in all Australian schools

Consent education has been mandated in all Australian schools, a landmark decision after a year of extensive public pressure.

Education ministers across the nation "unanimously" agreed today to implement holistic and age-appropriate consent education in every Australian school.

It will be implemented in schools across Australia during 2023.

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The curriculum will be taught to students from foundation or kindergarten to Year 10.

The curriculum will reportedly include multiple topics that have been lacking in sex education including information around gendered stereotypes, coercion and power imbalances.

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The pioneer of the change, Chanel Contos, began petitioning on social media a year ago demanding better consent education in schools.

It came after she shared an Instagram story to her followers asking if they or someone close to them had been sexually assaulted by someone when they were at school.

Within 24 hours, the results were overwhelmingly on the "yes" side.

This sparked Ms Contos' call to action and the formation of the Teach Us Consent organisation which allowed people to sign the petition or share a testimony of their experience of sexual assault.

In an Instagram post today, Ms Contos expressed elation at the unanimous decision of education ministers across the country to mandate the curriculum.

"Today marks exactly one year since we launched a petition demanding for earlier and more holistic consent education to be mandated in Australian schools," Ms Contos said in the post.

"After over 44,000 signatures, more than 6700 testimonies of sexual assault, and countless hours of volunteer work and support, we are very happy to announce that we did it."

"The next generation of Australians will now have consent education because of you.

"To everyone who submitted a testimony, signed a petition, shared a post or had a hard conversation with a friend or loved one: thank you, and congratulations. We did it."

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Ms Contos joins a tribe of powerful women advocating and lobbying for change in the consent and sexual assault conversation across Australia.

Last week former political staffer Brittany Higgins and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame make a landmark address at the National Press Club calling for more government action.