National stocktake and gap analysis of Respectful Relationships Education
Project Team
Chief Investigators: Dr Naomi Pfitzner, Emeritus Associate Professor Debbie Ollis, Dr Kelly-Ann Allen, Associate Professor Asher Flynn and Associate Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon
Project contact: Naomi Pfitzner, naomi.pfitzner@monash.edu
Consultation and national stocktake now complete
The Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre was contracted by the Australian Government Department of Education to undertake a national stocktake and gap analysis of respectful relationships education material and resources. The project team conducted consultations in October 2021 and engaged with more than 100 stakeholders.
The final report has been delivered to the Department of Education.
This report is publicly available on this site.
About this project
Strengthening positive, equal and respectful relationships between school students through Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) is a feature of past and present national policies to address violence against women and children. RRE has a long and varied history in Australian schools and has been taught in some form for over 40 years. However, what, when, where and how RRE is implemented and delivered in schools differs amongst schools, school sectors and State and Territory jurisdictions.
This Australian Government funded report presents the findings from a national stocktake and gap analysis of respectful relationships education programs and resources used in Australian schools. The project involved consultations with over 100 stakeholders across the areas of education, women’s health, and domestic, family and sexual violence. The report outlines a roadmap for improving RRE in Australian schools through a consistent approach to coordination, delivery, oversight and evaluation, and makes seven key recommendations.
The review involved three phases:
- A national stocktake of existing respectful relationships education teaching and learning materials and resources developed and used by state and territory governments, independent and catholic school sectors and non-government organisations that work with schools.
- A review of existing respectful relationships education programs and resource evaluations.
- A gap analysis of existing respectful relationships education materials and delivery approaches.
Acknowledgements
The Monash project team would like to acknowledge and extend our thanks to all the Australian stakeholders who participated in the consultation and contributed resources through the submission process. Your insights have been vital to this process and we are extremely grateful for your time and your ongoing commitment to shaping and improving respectful relationships education in Australian schools. We appreciate the significant pressures on everyone’s time during the periods of remote learning in the COVID-19 pandemic and greatly appreciate the generosity of the participants who shared their professional experiences and views.