Latest letters a reminder of consent

VILLAWOOD Properties’ latest arrangement of its letters at the Wandana estate is in recognition of the high-profile issue of sexual consent.

The three-metre-high corten steel letters now spell out CONSENT, and Villawood hopes they will catch the attention of tens of thousands of motorists using the Geelong Ring Road.

Consent education is now mandatory nationally after education ministers recently agreed to an holistic, age-appropriate consent curriculum to help counter seriously under-reported sexual assault across the country.

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, several leading Geelong advocates for greater respect and understanding for women gathered at the letters for their official unveiling.

“There are no blurred lines when it comes to consent,” Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre chief executive officer Helen Bolton said.

“Consent is mutual, both people have to agree, and it must be continuous. You can stop at any time, you can change your mind, and just because you said yes to one thing or one time, doesn’t mean you have consented to anything else.”

Deakin University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion manager of respectful behaviours, Laura Burge, said it was great to see the letters continue the conversation around consent and respectful relationships.

“Deakin is committed to fostering a connected, safe, inclusive and respectful work and study environment.

“As a university we set strong standards of behaviour and acknowledge that we all have a role to play in preventing and responding to sexual harm.”

Barwon Adolescent Taskforce (BATForce) chair Leigh Bartlett said the alliance of organisations had been delivering consent information in schools and communities for more than 12 years.

“It is so important that young people understand that consent is includes the right to say yes, the right to say no and the right to change your mind.

“Consent resets every time. This starts from such a young age when we support children to develop the skills and strategy to ‘sit with’ no and the disappointment of missing out.”

Villawood has used its giant letters to highlight a variety of social and community causes in recent years.

These have included marriage equality, respect, refugee and Indigenous concerns, road safety, mental health, domestic violence, vaccinations, local jobs and more.

“Consent is a real issue right now and one where the community needs to think deeply about serious improvements in its attitudes and behaviour,” Villawood executive director Rory Costelloe said.

“The idea of the letters is to highlight that consent education is not only now going into our schools but needs to be understood and exercised through the broader community.”