Our Ambassadors

My name is Dr. Justin Coulson.

I'm a dad to six daughters.

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I'm sorry.

In fact, my eldest and her husband have had a baby as well, so I’m a grandpa as well.

 I've written a bunch of books about making families happy, but mostly what I do is help parents to raise happy, resilient, healthy kids.

Being part of this campaign, it's because every single person deserves, has the right to be in a relationship that feels safe, that feels healthy. And consent is that secret ingredient that makes it work.

Talking to our kids about consent can feel awkward or uncomfortable. Is it worth persevering?

 Having conversations about consent with our children can be awkward. There's no other way to say it. Sometimeswe just don't know what to say, we don't know how to start the conversation. We don't know what we're going to do if they bring something up, or if they refuse to engage at all.

But it is worth persisting. Why? Because it's what they need to form the foundation of what will become safe and healthy consenting relationships.

The other great irony is, in spite of our discomfort, our children need to and often want to hear from us.

But secondly, they end up being some of the most enriching conversations we can have with our kids. At the end of those conversations, sometimes we go, "It wasn't hard!" and I feel so good that we talked about this. Like that really, really worked.

What's your one message for Australians on consent?

 If there was just one thing that I wanted Australian parents and carers to know and really understand about consent, it's that the conversation matters.

It's our job to teach our children consent.

We've got to have the conversation.

If parents want to know where they can get resources to talk to their children about consent, just go to consent.gov.au

Hi, I'm Chantelle Otten and I am a sexologist and relationship expert. 

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Yeah, as a sexologist I help individual and couples, anyone really, work on their relationship or their intimacy, consent, communication, boundaries, and I help them to have safe, fulfilling, consensual, intimate and relational lives.

Why did you take part in this campaign?

I decided to take part in this campaign because consent is a foundation of my work and I do believe that it's so important for the next generation to have the right tools to be able to create and maintain healthy relationships with others.

Is consent just about sex?

Consent is not just about sex, it's about emotions, it's about boundaries, physical space, communication, and consent can range from asking someone if it's okay to give them a hug and either accepting or declining, or it can go to intimate activities or even just knowing whether it's okay to share personal information or not.

Why is it important to talk to other adults about consent before talking to young people?

Talking to other adults about consent helps to align beliefs and approaches and it really helps with passing down consistent, confident messaging to the next generation so they feel confident in how they address consent and boundaries in relationships. Talking about these topics can feel uncomfortable and it can feel a little bit awkward but the benefits outweigh the discomfort. So the more that we talk about topics that might feel uncomfortable, the more we feel comfortable with them and that helps reduce stigma but also create healthier relationships where everyone can feel seen, heard, respected and understood. 

For resources and conversation guides, go to consent.gov.au

Learning, understanding and talking about consent can't wait.

It's never too early to start having these conversations with young people, but it definitely can be too late. 

My name is Chanel Contos and I'm the founder of Teach Us Consent. 

Currently in Australia, the most common demographic to perpetrate sexual violence is a 14 to 19 year old male. 

That is devastating and that is on the rise. 

But the vast majority of sexual violence in Australia is preventable. 

How can parents start the conversation to take a seat? 

It makes complete sense to be unsure about how to have this kind of conversation about consent, especially if your parents never had it with you, but that is no excuse to not go and learn. 

If you want to learn more about consent, you can start the conversations yourself. Speak with other parents, friends, and there is ample online resources. 

It's important for parents and carers to have conversations with other adults about consent, to also understand where other people's children are at, and to ensure that there's a whole of community approach to raising the next generation rate of Australians to be respectful and prioritise consent. 

And parents really need to step up and be willing to have these conversations with children regularly as they come up and so that they know that they have a safe place to go if they're ever in trouble. 

How can we create positive social change? 

In order to create positive social change around consent, I would just love there to be more conversations. It does so much. It is a domino effect, once they start. 

If consent feels embarrassing and shameful, that's probably because you've never had a conversation about consent before. 

It's really important to break that generational cycle of shame and silence. 

What's your one message for Australians on consent? 

Learning, understanding, and talking about consent. Can't wait. 

For more information and conversation guides go to consent.gov.au. 

We all have a role to play in keeping young people safe from sexual violence. 

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Hi, I'm Dan and I'm a youth advocate and educator. And I champion young boys to be their best selves and form healthy relationships. 

How does pornography impact consent? 

Parents are now raising children in a time where pornography is everywhere and is acting as a default sex educator. 

Pornography undermines our hopes that all of our relationships and sexual experiences would be consensual. 

It teaches boys especially to see sex as transactional, as something they take from another person. 

That they use violence and manipulation and coercion to get what they want. 

How can parents start the conversation? 

Parents want to talk to other parents. They want to know what's working for them? What's helped them? How did they have some of these uncomfortable conversations? 

Parents get together, help one another. No one's necessarily mastered this. We're all learning on the fly about how to have these conversations. 

What's your one message for Australians on consent? 

My message to all of us Australians is have these conversations. For the sake of our young people, for their safety, for their well-being. 

Have them today, have them every day. Learning, understanding and talking about consent. Can't wait.  

For more information, check our conversation guides at consent.gov.au.