James Merlino urges non-government schools to run Respectful Relationships program

Education Minister James Merlino said there were “no excuses” for schools not to roll out the Respectful Relationships program.

Hundreds of non-government schools are being urged to sign up to the state government’s Respectful Relationships program to stamp out problems including toxic masculinity.

The Herald Sun can reveal Education Minister James Merlino on Tuesday announce an expression of interest for non-government schools to roll out the program in their classrooms.

To date, 309 out of 723 non-government schools have signed up to the program.

It comes after activist Chanel Contos last week told the Herald Sun she had been working with Mr Merlino’s department to contribute to the curriculum and push for key themes including toxic masculinity and slut-shaming to be at the centre of Victoria’s new mandatory consent classes.

From term two, the teaching of consent in an age-appropriate way will be mandatory in all government schools.

Mr Merlino said there were “no excuses” for schools not to roll out the program.

“It is proven to make a real difference and is a recommendation of the royal commission into family violence,” Mr Merlino said.

“I want to see every single school across the country implement this program. Students have been clear they need a great focus on the issue of consent and that is exactly what we will deliver.”

Hunter Johnson, chief executive of The Man Cave, an emotional intelligence charity for young men that runs developmental workshops in schools, said it was a positive step that Respectful Relationships was being brought to the forefront.

The teaching of consent will be mandatory in all government schools in an age-appropriate way.

“There’s a real opportunity to leverage some of the university students that are out there seeking work to bring them into the conservation to be the deliverers of the consent education,” Mr Johnson said.

He said private schools had encountered issues with consent in recent months due to some of them being religious-based.

“While religious education has done well to teach values and character development, it’s not done well when we see the abuse of power that we’re all familiar with,” he said.

“The challenge we have with private schools at the moment is that they are at a point of evolution for their culture and that’s really difficult when you come up against an institution that wants to keep their tradition, history and their values.”

Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania general secretary Debra James said the union supported the calls for non-government schools to implement the program.

“The importance of teaching and reinforcing concepts of consent in all schools and at all year levels has never been clearer. All students deserve a safe schooling environment and an education which prepares them to be responsible and empowered adults,” Ms James said.

“I know that some faith-based schools may find this conversation challenging, but I strongly encourage them to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of their students by embracing meaningful consent education.”

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