Current and proposed sexual consent laws in Australia

September 2023

© Commonwealth of Australia 2023
ISBN: 978-1-76093-562-7

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Members
List of recommendations
Chapter 1 - Introduction and context
  • Introduction
  • Referral and terms of reference
  • Conduct of the inquiry and acknowledgement
  • Background and context
  • Structure of the report
  • Note on references
Chapter 2 - Australia's sexual consent laws
  • Definition of ‘consent’
  • Concerns about legislative inconsistencies
  • National harmonisation of sexual consent laws
  • Limitations of sexual consent law reform
Chapter 3 - Lived experience
  • Law enforcement responses to reported sexual assaults
  • Victim-survivors’ experiences within the criminal justice system
  • Actors within the law enforcement and criminal justice systems
Chapter 4 - Education and awareness
  • Consent education in primary and secondary schools
  • Consent education in tertiary education settings
  • Community education and awareness
Chapter 5 - Conclusions and recommendations
  • Victim-survivors’ agency
  • Australia’s sexual consent laws
  • Supporting victim-survivors in the criminal justice system
  • Alternative approaches to the traditional criminal court process
  • Rape myths and misconceptions
  • Education and awareness
  • Concluding comment
Appendix 1 - Submissions and Additional Information
Appendix 2 - Public Hearings

Committee Secretariat contact:

Committee Secretary
Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 3560
legcon.sen@aph.gov.au

Past Public Hearings

27 Jul 2023: Sydney
26 Jul 2023: Melbourne
25 Jul 2023: Canberra

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