Frontline workers who come face-to-face with victims of sexual violence each day say they have doubts about the idea of developing a smart phone app to record consent - as suggested by the state's police minister.
Commissioner Mick Fuller floated the idea of the app in an opinion piece in a Sydney newspaper on Thursday, following up with a press conference.
Commissioner Fuller said the idea was part of starting a conversation on the issue of consent, as police tackled rising sexual assault rates.
The Newcastle Herald reported this week the latest figures showed that 849 sexual assault reports were made to Hunter police in 2020, up from 754 the previous year - a 10 per cent rise from 577 five years ago.
Kerrie Thompson, CEO of the Newcastle-based Victims of Crime Assistance League Victim Support Unit, told the Herald she would prefer to see changes occur in how the legal system treated and responded to people who reported sexual violence.
She said victims faced the prospect of barristers yelling at them in court and accusing them of lying when giving evidence.
"I see several problems with the sexual consent app, but my main concern is that this app may be used to protect men from allegations of sexual violence," Ms Thompson said.
"Creating an app to document consent will not stop the increase in sexual violence and it will in no way increase offender accountability.
"Consent may be given, but it also can be withdrawn at any time. Women have a right to change their minds on consent and men need to understand and respect that decision."
Jayne Clowes, the CEO of Maitland women and children's refuge Carries Place, said she was unsure how a consent app would work.
She said such an app would not stop predators, but it was good that the issue of consent was being discussed in the public domain.
Commissioner Fuller told reporters in Sydney the justice system was often "overwhelmed" with the issue of consent.
He said the app could be a way to keep people out of the justice system, but his suggestion was mainly about starting a public conversation about sexual consent.
