Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 1:52:14 to 2:00:08
Update on the evaluation of the Consent and Respectful Relationships Education (CRRE) framework and efforts to address misogyny and sexism in schools through workforce development and curriculum alignment.
Topics: Education, Social services
Speakers: Ms. Pamela Banerjee, Ms Danielle Donegan, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, Ms. Meg Brighton, Mr. Tony Cook
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>> Senator, thank you for the question. the relevant staff at the table.
>> Um Senator Pamela Banerjee, assistant secretary, wellbeing and equity branch. Um thank you for your question. Um um as per the announcement um uh you're right, there's a review um in u underway for the CRE measure which aligns also with the expectation as part of the CR uh federation funding agreement schedule that there will be an independent evaluation of the measure during the life of the um FFA schedule. So the department is working on commissioning that work. So we um published a request for quote on 6th of October. Um that was open till um 16th of October. We did not receive a response to the quotation. So we have now republished the quot request for quote on I think 21st of October closing on 10th of November. Following on from that obviously we will see um obviously identify a suitable provider to undertake that evaluation.
>> Mhm. Do you have an expected time frame for the completion of the review at this stage?
>> So we are working towards um findings to be determined um and and the review to be completed by March April next year but um it's subject to finding a suitable provider to undertake the work.
>> Um have you had given any thought to who should be consulted for this review? Um
so as part of the um requirement we would definitely um consult with um the variety of um stakeholders that we consult with in our you um kind of consent and respectful relationships education kind of work. So we have um experts on an implementation working group that we um um kind of um facilitate. Um we would definitely consult with those experts. We will obviously consult with education um um departments of education in states and territories who are our key partners in delivery of this measure. We will also um consult with non-government school sectors who are delivering this measure in states and territories and um obviously any evaluation as you know will start with a bit of scoping and as part of that scoping exercise if there are the stakeholders that are identified um the evaluator will be required to consult with them.
>> Thank you. Um the MES University rapid review of CRRE called for a sexual ethics approach that addresses uh sex and consent explicitly. Those recommendations weren't adopted in the CRE framework. Uh will they now be reconsidered?
>> Um Z, if I can go back to the Monach review that was undertaken in uh 2023. Um it was a point in time rapid review. Um when that review informed the CR the RE framework um that was one of the evidence base that informed the R framework. We also um undertook um extensive consultation with a range of other stakeholders. So what came out in the RE framework was a kind of a mix of um all the views that we heard from a range of stakeholders. Um and the evaluation that we are undertaking um will definitely look into what has been and what we are doing now and what should be. So the evidence will definitely inform the future work.
>> Perhaps um oh senator perhaps I can just add to that. So the as Miss Benji said so those concepts that underpin sexual ethics and are inherent to sexual ethics are throughout the framework. So they go to um consent and sexual consent, bodily autonomy, healthy and respectful relationships, sexual health and well-being, um safety and violence prevention. So um a whole range of the dimensions that sexual ethics capture are actually embedded um in the framework. The framework also has a whole series of resources and supports attached to it including um the UNESCO work on sexual ethics.
>> Yeah. Thank you. I'm just conscious of time. I have a couple more questions. Um, we've heard some members um of of Parliament say that a feminized curriculum is contributing to young men's misogynistic attitudes. I'm sure you're aware that that's contrary to evidence. Um, how will the government make sure that the evaluation of CRE responds to expert evidence rather than conservative outrage?
Um Senator the CR curriculum that's kind of um taught in schools um um taught to all students irrespective of gender or um um you know um kind of specific um categories. Um they um the curriculum is geared towards building lifelong skills from found you know and taught at an age appropriate um kind of way. It's evidence-based. the curriculum is expert um driven. Um so from foundation through to year 10 and senior years, kids learn um how to you know have respectful relationships and then that goes on to consent and other matters. Um so yeah I don't think
>> that's we would always take expert ad evidence senator as opposed to >> un unexpert is that a word? Uh yeah I take I take your point. We would absolutely be looking at expert evidence. Yes.
>> Great. Thank you. And my last question because I know that I'll have to wrap up. Um we're seeing a lot of uh female teachers in particular leaving the teaching profession uh because of sexism and misogyny that's going on in schools and just wondering what actions the department is taking to address sexism and misogyny in schools uh in both our public and our private sector.
>> Thanks Senator. through the work of the consent and respectful relationships in education federal funding agreement. Um I can point to the 2025 activities where largely the activities were focused on workforce development including through extensive professional learning uh workshops, webinars, coaching uh which all focused on teachers and school leaders about how to manage these situations in schools. Uh there was also a significant effort develop sorry invested in developing the curriculum and aligning teaching resources to make sure that teachers felt comfortable in schools to deliver that content. Uh we have an example that uh has occurred recently. So we understand that uh these issues are constantly being raised and are being raised in a concerning way. Uh in New South Wales, the Secretary of the Department for Education has written to all school principles as well as to all school staff about these behaviors about increasing misogynistic behaviors. Uh to make sure that principles understand their obligations within that schooling context. uh but also understand the resources that they have available to them to help them through these situations. And so that's just one example of a jurisdiction who is also focused on uh outside of the CRA teaching context, but on working with staff uh and making sure that staff are able to support uh the school environment as well as um students. and
Senator, >> on Monday when education ministers meet, they will be discussing um these issues and consent and respectful relationships as part of their agenda with their ministerial council meeting.
>> All right. Thank you. I did hear that announcement from the New South Wales minister and I thought, "Oh, this just sounds like they're just telling schools to fix it." Obviously, resourcing is going to be important. Um, if there's any extra information that you could provide on notice that's relevant to giving examples of the sorts of support resources that are being provided to help schools manage this, that'd be really appreciated. And I'll leave it there.