Let's start a conversation about …
Rights & responsibilities
Learn that with every right comes a responsibility to treat others with respect and fairness. Understand the importance of balancing individual rights with the needs of others in a community.
Listen to what your body is telling you
Some not okay body clues are:
Some happy body clues are:
Your body is your body!
Sexual consent is an agreement between people to share a sexual act.
Consent must be given freely and happily, with shared understanding of what is going to happen.
It is consent when people know they want to do the sexual activities and they make sure their partner does too.
The Consent Continuum is a great resource to help people understand what is and is not consent.
The Consent Continuum is a great resource to help people understand what is and is not consent.
Behaviour that is not OK at work
Offensive behaviour or harassment
This includes anything that offends, humiliates, or insults people on the basis of an attribute. This could be nasty behaviour or annoying people; anything that upsets or embarrasses people; or being rude about a person because of something about them, like their race, religion, weight, gender, or disability.
Sexual harassment
This includes behaviour of a sexual nature which subjects someone to unwanted physical acts, advances or requests, comments, gestures, or actions. Behaviour that is sexual and is not wanted by other people, including touching, asking people to do sexual things, making comments, noises or movements that are sexual.
Victimisation
A person must not harass another person because they have, or intend to, make a complaint. If someone makes a complaint, or is going to make a complaint, it is not ok to bully them.
Inciting hatred
This is a public act which provokes hatred towards, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or a group of people on the basis of an attribute. This also includes getting other people to bully someone because of something about them, like their race, religion, weight, gender, or disability.
Promoting or aiding discrimination and prohibited conduct
This includes the publishing or display of any sign or notice that promotes, expresses, or depicts discrimination or prohibited conduct (unless it is discouraging discrimination or prohibited conduct).
This also includes creating or putting up any sign, poster or picture that supports bullying, nasty behaviour, or behaviour that is not ok at work.
Understanding consent laws in Tasmania
There are laws that tell us what the age of consent is.
- If you are under 12 years old, you are not able to consent. Sex with anyone under 12 is against the law.
- If you are over 12 years old, it might be OK if your partner is no more than 3 years older than you.
- If you are over 15 years old, it might be OK if your partner is no more than 5 years older than you.
- If you are over 17 years old, you are able to consent if your partner is over 14 years old.
Everyone has a responsibility to know the age of their partner.
| Your age | Legally informed consent |
|---|---|
| Under 12 | Not able to consent |
| 12 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-15 years old |
| 13 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-16 years old |
| 14 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-17 years old |
| 15 years | Might be OK if your partner is 12-20 years old |
| 16 years | Might be OK if your partner is 13-21 years old |
| 17 years | Able to consent if your partner is 14+ years old |
Image based abuse and online safety
If you share a picture with just one person, you no longer have control over who else might see it.
Here are some forms of image based or online abuse.
Doxing
When someone shares your personal information on the internet.
Sextortion
When someone threatens to share pictures of you on the internet unless you pay them money or do sexual acts with them.
Catfishing
When someone pretends to be a different person online. They might pretend to be a different gender, age or be interested in the same things as you. Usually done to get you to trust them and be friends with them.
Deepfake
A new picture that is made from two or more pictures, e.g. it might be your face on someone else’s body.
Understanding pornography
Pornography (or porn) is the name for pictures or videos that show sexual acts or naked bodies.
Porn is made to create sexual feelings. It is not always made with consent and rarely shows consensual relationships.
- Porn is not real.
- Porn is made to look good.
- Real life sex should feel good.
Respectful relationships have trust, good communication, kindness, empathy (sharing feelings), honesty, equality (sharing power, money or ideas evenly), respect for each other’s ideas and thoughts, and liking each other’s strengths.
A respectful relationship does not have people using power and control over each another.
A respectful relationship feels good and should never make you feel scared or unsafe.
With every right that we have it means that we also have the responsibility to do the same to other people.
Conversation starters
Do people with a disability, people who are LGBTQIA+, people who are migrants or people who are First Nation’s all have the same rights and responsibilities?
Absolutely yes!
There are laws that say it is illegal to not give all people the same access and chances. All people can have the same needs and wants when it comes to relationships, sex, gender, and sexuality. Anyone can identify as belonging to one or many different communities.
Gender identity (feeling like a man, women or something else), and sexuality (being attracted to people of the same or different gender) and sex (assigned at birth) are not affected by disability, race, or culture.
Do you think that people with a disability have similar needs or wants about sex than people without a disability?
People with disabilities have the same sexual desires (needs and wants) as people without disability.
There are people who love to have sex often and there are people who do not want to have sex at all and there are lots of people in between. Everyone has their own desires and having a disability does not change this.
People with disability have the same rights to have sex and sexual activity as people without a disability. They also have the right to access adaptive sex aids, sex workers and help to experience a healthy sexual life.
If a person has an intellectual or cognitive disability, can they have sex or sexual activity?
Anybody who wants to have sex should make sure their partner understands what sex and sexual activity is, consent, the legal age for having sex, and what the risks of sex are (sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, injury etc.).
If a person does not understand or cannot give consent, then sex with them is not OK yet.
Sometimes it is assumed that people with intellectual or cognitive disability cannot understand these things.
People with disabilities can learn about sex and consent with access to the right information and support.
Understanding can help people to have safer sexual lives.
Get help now
If you, or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 000
Northern Tasmania
North West Tasmania
If you require assistance outside of business hours, please call the 24/7 Statewide Support number below:
Have a less urgent enquiry?
Please fill out the form below and your enquiry will be responded to within two business days
