Government consent video taken down after heavy criticism

The government videos mentioning tacos, milkshakes and spearfishing as metaphors for sexual assault have been removed after sparking a huge backlash.

Two educational videos aimed at teaching youngsters about sexual consent have been removed by the Federal Government just 24 hours after their launch following widespread criticism.

The videos published on The Good Society website were ridiculed by experts for trivialising conversations around consent and using confusing euphemisms like milkshakes and tacos instead of medical and biological terminology.

Department of Education secretary Dr Michele Bruniges said the Federal Government had removed the videos following feedback.

The video has been blasted online.

“In response to community and stakeholder feedback, two videos have been removed from The Good Society website. The website contains about 350 resources aimed to support teachers and parents to educate students across all age groups about respectful relationships more broadly,” she said.

“The website is designed to be a live and dynamic resource, with content added,removed, and modified, to ensure it remains current and appropriate.

“The Department will continue to engage with experts to evaluate the materials that appear on the website to ensure they are fit for purpose and reflect current experiences and community issues.”

MILKSHAKE VIDEO ‘WOEFUL’: NSW MINISTER

A bizarre government video using a milkshake as a metaphor for sexual consent has been slammed as “woeful” by the NSW Education Minister.

Reacting to the federal government education resource for the first time on Tuesday, Sarah Mitchell said we should be “much more upfront with young people” when talking about consent.

She described the video as “pretty woeful”.

“I do think it’s a missed opportunity,” Ms Mitchell said.

She said young people want conversations about consent and respectful relationships to be “explicit”.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell says the federal government’s milkshake ad is woeful. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“They want to have an honest conversation about these issues,” Ms Mitchell said.

“I think the intention of the federal government to have a resource that schools and parents can provide is a good one.

But to be frank, I don’t really say the benefit of a milkshake or a taco metaphor, I think that we should be much more upfront with young people when we talk about these issues,” Ms Mitchell said.

‘INCORRECT AND HARMFUL INFORMATION’

Confusion has reigned over a government-approved video that used a taco, milkshake and spearfishing to explain consent.

The federal government’s new consent and sex education campaign, which features a bizarre video of a woman smearing a milkshake over a man’s face, has been blasted on social media and by experts.

End Rape on Campus Founder and Director Sharna Bremner said the video could be harmful to those most at risk of sexual violence.

The Government's new consent education campaign for schools features a bizarre video of a woman smearing a man’s face with a milkshake.

“Anyone with even the tiniest bit of knowledge can see that these materials don‘t meet the national standards for the prevention of sexual assault through education. These resources provide incorrect & harmful information. They must be replaced,” she wrote on Twitter.

“To be clear, there is some good information on the site. But there‘s also some really harmful stuff, which outweighs any of the good. And that’s before we even get into the fact that it’s incredibly heteronormative and doesn’t account for any cultural nuances at all.

“People aged 15-19 are at the highest risk of perpetrating sexual violence. They‘re at the highest risk of being sexually assaulted. We cannot afford to be getting this wrong.”

When announcing the campaign last week, Education Minister Alan Tudge said the program would complement current programs offered by states and territories.

“The most important people in teaching kids about respect and relationships are parents, but schools can also play a vital role,” he said.

“These materials will provide additional support to better educate young Australians on these issues.”

Originally published as Government consent video taken down after heavy criticism