On International Women’s Day in March 2022, Anthony Albanese and then shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, made an important election promise. This was a $77 million consent education implementation package as part of the new national curriculum, to start in 2023. The Labor government delivered on this promise in the Budget by committing $83.5 million over six years to consent and respectful relationships education in primary and secondary schools.

This will see holistic and age-appropriate consent education provided in all Australian schools. Consent education is an effective way at creating cultural change and stopping sexual violence before it starts. While funding alone is not enough to prevent sexual violence, this Budget provides a promising start.