New sexual consent app proposed for Australia
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has proposed an app that can be used to establish mutual consent before sex.
"The conversation around sex and consent seems to be anchored to the '50s and clearly it isn't working," Mr Fuller wrote in an opinion piece published by Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
His proposal follows after UK woman Sarah Everett was walking home when an off-duty officer raped and murdered her.
Her death has sparked a global conversation around assault, and highlighted not only the unfair treatment of women, but the number of assault cases that go widely unreported.
Mr Fuller says consent apps can help to normalise conversations around consent and formalise the habit of actively seeking consent.
"There is no implied consent. It needs to be positive consent. How do we do that in this day and age? One option is with technology," Mr Fuller said.
"People say 'how unromantic is that'. But think of how many people are looking for friendship and love online - it's not as though technology and dating are foreign to us."
He did admit that an app could still provide challenges, including if someone withdrew their consent after originally agreeing.
Denmark has already introduced a consent app and expanded the definition of rape to include sex without explicit consent.