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Experts to vet next series of sexual consent videos

The previous series of consent videos were panned.

The previous series of consent videos were panned.

There will be no repeat of milkshake and taco videos to explain sexual consent and coercion.

A respectful relationships reference panel of more than 20 organisations will develop new resources after videos made for schools went viral for all the wrong reasons.

A milkshake-themed consent video was canned in April following widespread criticism, along with a swimming with sharks video intended to explain coercion.

There were no direct references to sex, rape or assault.

Developed and approved by education department officials, the two videos were part of a Respect Matters campaign to teach children and teenagers about respectful relationships.

“If there is one lesson we have learnt it’s to listen to voices of experts and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” federal education department head Michele Bruniges told a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday.

Officials said they could not isolate the cost of the two scrapped videos from the more than $3.4 million paid to digital design company Liquid Interactive for the “good society” website.

The department’s internal panel of experts has been scrapped and replaced with a new respectful relationships reference panel of 23 organisations.

Dr Bruniges said deep knowledge about family and domestic violence is essential, along with a parent voice and primary school principals.

She also conceded the six years taken to roll out the project was “longer than most”.

Some $5 million was assigned to the program in 2015 under a women’s safety package. The campaign received a top-up of $2.8 million to use between 2019/20 and 2021/22.

Some $350,000 of the top-up has been used so far.

Labor wants all 350 resources on the website reviewed by experts.

-AAP

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