AUSTRALIA: Sexual consent law proposal in South Australia

South Australian Independent MP Ann Bressington says comments she made about men needing signed consent from women to protect themselves from false rape allegations were tongue in cheek.

Ms Bressington made the comments in the South Australian Parliament yesterday and supported them on ABC radio again today in her rejection of proposed changes to SA rape laws.

It could become an offence to continue a sex act with someone after consent if they later changed their mind.

She says the law would make men who are accused of rape guilty until proved innocent.

Ms Bressington has now said she was not serious in her Parliamentary comment about introducing formal contracts, but she said men may not have an alternative defence.

"Having to have a consensual sex contract is ridiculous but having these laws that don't protect men's rights are also ridiculous," she said.

"I think we need to be more mindful when we're putting through legislation that every stakeholder in the community is protected."

Planned changes defended

Vanessa Swan, from sexual assault service Yarrow Place, has defended the proposed rape law changes.

"What we now have is that if someone were to scream and fight and say 'Don't do this' and the other person continued, now that's illegal," she said.

"Now wouldn't we want that to be illegal? Is that radical?

"As we shift our laws to be in line with what's fair and reasonable in the community, there are people that scream and say, 'This is radical' or 'This is out there', when in fact most of the rest of us think that's silly."

Independent South Australian MP Kris Hanna says he is concerned the legislative changes may not be passed.

"I've been pushing for this rape law reform for five years and it's been through a couple of committees and reviews and we finally got there," he said.

"I hope it's not going to be derailed in the Upper House because of these concerns, which I think will not end up being real concerns when it comes to putting things in court.

"What we really wanted to overcome was men being able to get off by saying, 'I believed that she consented' when in fact it was preposterous to believe that in the circumstances, like the woman was asleep or unconscious through drinking or whatever."

ABC

The suggested law is not a bad idea. It will benefit both men and women. Men will be safer from being accused of rape. Men will have to get in wrtiting from a woman, a "yes", before intercourse. remember the jodie Foster starred film, The Accused? She kept saying "no", but the rape continued.