Consent.

It's not a buzzword.

It's the foundation of healthy, respectful relationships.

Understanding what consent truly means is crucial and it's simpler than you might think.

Let's break it down into five clear points.

Number one: Consent is a free and voluntary choice.

That means consent is freely given without pressure, threats of violence, manipulation, or exploitation of power.

Here's an example.

There's no consent if someone is threatening to break up with their partner if they don't have sex.

Number two: Consent is specific and informed.

All sexual partners understand what's involved and what they're agreeing to.

Number three: Consent must be affirmative and communicated.

So partners need to actively say or do something to check for consent. Are you okay with this? Do you like that?

We can do it verbally or we can do it with body language or actions, or even by writing it down.

Number four: Consent is ongoing and mutual.

All sexual partners must want to take part and then just want to keep it going. The big thing here is they can also change their mind at any time, no questions asked.

And finally, number five: Consent must reflect capacity.

That means sexual partners must be able to communicate consent. So they can't be drunk or high, unconscious or under the age of consent.

Learn more at consent.gov.au

Because consent can't wait.