The Albanese Government is encouraging Australian school students to share their ideas of respect and disrespect through a national animation competition.
Launching today, the Stop it At the Start campaign's Respect Competition invites young Australians in years 4-9 across the country to raise awareness about respect by creating a storyboard using illustrations and words.
Winning entries will be transformed into a 30 second animation by a professional animation studio.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the competition forms part of the latest Stop it at the Start campaign, which is being advertised on television, online, in cinemas and across social media.
"We know that there are new and powerful influences online and in the real world that are impacting young people and their attitudes towards gendered disrespect," Minister Rishworth said.
"This competition builds on the campaign's counter-influencing approach to these corrosive online influences.
"It's a great opportunity for young people to share their thoughts on respect with a wider audience and spark wider conversations about these behaviours and attitudes that condone violence against women."
The competition closes on Sunday 15 September 2024 and winners will receive a $500 gift card and a $500 gift card for their school. Runners up will receive a $250 gift card.
Evidence shows that almost four in 10 men feel pressured to conform to socially dominant forms of masculinity, with 25 per cent of young boys looking to negative online influencers who promote dominant or disrespectful behaviour.
Assistant Minister for Social Services and for the Prevention of Family Violence, Justine Elliot, said the competition would inspire important conversations between young people and adults.
"Closing the understanding and knowledge gap between young people and adults, particularly parents, remains a big part in shifting young people's behaviour and attitude towards respectful relationships," Assistant Minister Elliot said.
"Our goal through primary prevention and interventions under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32 is to have a generation of young people who stop it at the start."
The Albanese Government has invested $3.4 billion in women safety initiatives. To specifically address gender-based violence and respectful relationships, this includes:
- $6.5 million for a pilot of age assurance technology to protect children from harmful content, such as pornography and other age-restricted online services.
- $3.5 million for Teach Us Consent to develop and distribute social media resources for young people aged 16 years and above about consent, sexual harm and healthy sexual relationships.
- $8.3 million to design, deliver and evaluate multiple small-scale trials to prevent sexual harm and violence.
- $40 million for the National Consent campaign which aims to reduce the incidence of sexual violence in Australia by improving community understanding and attitudes on consent and respectful relationships.
- $3.5 million for a Healthy Masculinities Trial and Evaluation (Healthy MaTE) to help provide school-aged boys with greater understanding of ways to have healthy relationships with masculinity and to better equip this cohort to develop healthier and more satisfying relationships.
- $83.5 million for the Consent and Respectful Relationships Education measure which aims to ensure that students from Foundation to Year 10 receive age-appropriate education on positive, respectful relationships and consent.
- $100.4 million to Our Watch over 2022-2027 to continue its important work as the national leader in primary prevention. This includes funding for The Line - Our Watch's primary prevention social marketing campaign.
