The issue of sexual consent has been highlighted with the installation of giant hill-top signage along the Geelong Ring Road at Wandana for International Women’s Day.
Developer Villawood Properties installed the message ‘Consent’ in three-metre-high corten steel letters, in hopes it would catch the attention of motorists using the road each day.
“Consent is a real issue right now and one where the community needs to think deeply about serious improvements in its attitudes and behaviour,” Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe said.
“The idea of the letters is to highlight that consent education is not only now going into our schools but needs to be understood and exercised through the broader community.”
The new consent curriculum applies to all Australian schools and will see kindergarten or foundation pupils taught generally about seeking permission and respectful relationships. Older students will be taught about consent, power imbalances, coercion and gender stereotypes.
The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre chief executive Helen Bolton said she hoped the letters would spark conversations about consent.
“It’s so important for all of us to be having a conversation about consent,” she said.
Villawood’s giant letters have been used to highlight a variety of social and community causes in recent years, including marriage equality, refugee and indigenous concerns, road safety, mental health, vaccinations and local jobs.
The unveiling of the consent message on Tuesday was supported by community organisations, including the G21 Alliance, the Barwon Adolescent Taskforce, The Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre and Deakin University.
“It’s great to see an initiative like this continue the conversation around consent and respectful relationships, and it’s placement on the Geelong Ring Road provides the perfect opportunity as motorists make their way to their destination,” Deakin University respectful behaviours manager Laura Burge said.
