NSW MPs from across the political divide are sponsoring a new petition led by activist Chanel Contos, urging the state government to improve the sex education curriculum and reform consent laws.
Three female members, including government MP Felicity Wilson, Greens MP Jenny Leong and Labor’s Marjorie O’Neill, are supporting Ms Contos’ ePetition, which launches on International Women’s Day.
Chanel Contos has launched a new petition urging the state government to overhaul sex education and consent laws.Credit:Liliana Zaharia
It calls for sex education to cover issues including “rape culture, slut shaming, sexual coercion and queer sex”, and also demands urgent law reform “to require sexual consent to be enthusiastic consent”.
The official ePetition needs 20,000 signatures to trigger a debate in the lower house and follows Ms Contos’ online petition, which has so far been signed by almost 30,000 people.
Ms Contos, a former Kambala student who has collected about 5000 testimonies about sexual assault from young women, said she was thankful that MPs from different parties were supporting her movement.
“I hope as a community we get to 20,000 signatures fast, to show the urgency of this issue,” she said.
Ms Leong said current and former students had “made it clear from their brave disclosures of sexual assault that there is an urgent need for change”.
“As women MPs we have a responsibility – and a determination – to work together and act to end to sexual violence,” Ms Leong said. “It’s crucial that the issue of consent is something that is a priority for all lawmakers in NSW and across the country.”
Ms Wilson, the Liberal MP for North Shore, said Ms Contos had “opened the door for thousands of our youngest members of society to [disclose] their history of horrific and widespread sexual assault”.
