Rapid Review of Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) and National RRE Framework

Project Team

Chief Investigators: Dr Naomi Pfitzner, Dr Emily Berger, Dr Claire Stonehouse, Associate Profession Kelly-Ann Allen, Emeritus Associate Professor Debbie Ollis, Associate Professor Bridget Harris, Dr Jasmine McGowan, Dr Keane Wheeler, Dr Karen Lambert, Associate Professor Fida Sanjakdar, and Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon

Project manager and Research Fellow: Dr Sarah McCook

Project contact: Naomi Pfitzner, naomi.pfitzner@monash.edu

This project is now complete

The final project report was delivered to the Australian Government Department of Education in August 2024.

The research reports were published by the Australian Government in March 2026.

Two reports are now available:

  1. The Respectful Relationships Education Framework: Rapid literature review and stakeholder consultation report
  2. Delivery of Respectful Relationships Education in Australian Schools: Rapid Review Final Report

You can explore the Australian Government’s National Respectful Relationships Education Framework here: https://www.education.gov.au/schooling/resources/national-respectful-relationships-education-framework

About this project

In the October 2022 Federal Budget, the Australian Government announced a $77.6 million investment over five years from 2023-24 to support schools to provide evidence-based, age-appropriate consent and respectful relationships education (CRRE) to help prevent gender-based violence and support young people to live lives free from violence. The Government’s commitment to strengthening CRRE was informed by a national stocktake and gap analysis of respectful relationships education (RRE) materials and resources completed by the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre on behalf of the Australian Government. The national stocktake and gap analysis report followed the ministerial endorsement of version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum in May 2022, for implementation from 2023. The new national curriculum seeks to ensure that students receive more explicit education on consent and respectful relationships.

In 2023, the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre in partnership with Deakin and Queensland Universities were commissioned under the Australian Government’s Consent and Respectful Relationships Education (CRRE) Budget measure to conduct research to inform the development of Australia’s first ever national framework for Respectful Relationships Education. This research involved a national survey that mapped how RRE was being delivered across Australian primary and secondary schools as well as national consultations with 175 experts and professionals from education, government, health, community services, and domestic, family and sexual violence sectors as well as youth advocates and representatives.

Research Design

This project involved 2 stages:

  1. A rapid review that mapped the delivery of respectful relationships education in Australian schools across Government, Independent and Catholic school sectors.
  2. A National Respectful Relationships Education Framework including:
    • A rapid literature review of international evidence on best practice delivery of consent and respectful relationships education.
    • National stakeholder consultations to inform the development of the National Respectful Relationships Education Framework.

RRE Framework Project Design

More Information

For more information on the Framework , please contact the Department of Education at:

RespectfulRelationships@education.gov.au

The final project report has been delivered to the Department of Education.

Funding Acknowledgment

This project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.