Edwina Bartholomew: Government consent ads of milkshakes and won’t help sexually active teens

The government has proven it has no place being involved in educating kids about consent. Parents also play a part, argues Edwina Bartholomew.

I remember well the day my Mum had the “talk” with me.

I was 23 and about to go on my first big solo overseas trip. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she had missed the boat on sex education by a good couple of years.

That’s not to say it was covered very much in school. Sex, and the then taboo topic of sexual assault, were not a huge part of the curriculum at my conservative same-sex Anglican school. We had the “no-means-no” discussion and were taught to stand up for ourselves in a sexual situation, but that was the limit of the conversation around consent.

Edwina Bartholomew. Picture: supplied

Now, thankfully, our children are growing up in a generation where this discussion is normalised.

It’s not just in classrooms, it’s in the news thanks to the advocacy of formidable women like Australian of the Year, Grace Tame and Canberra sex assault campaigner, Brittany Higgins.

So what was the Education Department thinking when they released the disastrous milkshake-in-the-face campaign this week? Instead of confronting the issue head on with adult language, the campaign used a series of euphemisms – including tacos and a pool of sharks – to represent what is and what is not OK when it comes to sex.

The federal government’s sexual education campaign features a video of a woman smearing a man’s face with a milkshake. Picture: supplied

The videos were part of the Good Society website designed to teach kids from primary school to high school about sex education and relationships. Noble cause, very average execution.

It took less than 24 hours for the clips to be pulled after practically every expert in the country and even state education ministers slammed the campaign.

Grace Tame called them insulting to young people, others said the videos would do more harm than good with unsuspecting teachers unsure of how to even interpret them.

Grace Tame called the campaign insulting to young people. Picture: supplied

So where does that leave parents? There have been calls for gender equality and respect to be taught within the first three years of a child’s life. We talk about sharing and manners, is it time we tackle this too? The answer is yes.

Obviously, the heavy duty topics of sexual assault can wait, but experts agree the conversation around consent and personal space begin early. No milkshakes, no tacos, no pools of sharks – just simple language so our kids know what is right, what is wrong and the all important boundaries around our bodies.

With government campaigns missing the mark, parents need to lead this important conversation.