I've had countless conversations with colleagues and people I know through work about what it's highlighted, and what it means that the topic is now strongly in the spotlight.

A beautiful friend of mine, Grace Tame, who many of you would know as Australian of the Year, spearheaded so much change in Tasmania.

She featured in the #LetHerSpeak campaign, created by journalist Nina Funnell, which is creating significant change for survivors across the country, with the work resonating across the world.

Due to their hard work and advocacy, the government amended section 194K of the Evidence Act 2001 to provide survivors with the right to speak publicly.

In February, former parliamentary staffer Brittany Higgins broke her silence and spoke to the media about an alleged sexual assault at Parliament House, reporting the act to the Australian Federal Police.

Speaking at a March4Justice event in Canberra, Ms Higgins said that one in five women in Australia will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime.

"And if you are a woman of colour, those statistics are even higher," Ms Higgins said.

"We fundamentally recognise the system is broken, the glass ceiling is still in place, and there are significant failings in the power structures within our institutions."

It's not just in the national spotlight - it's here, in our schools and our society.

Recent coverage by The Examiner has detailed this.

On March 16, allegations of rape and sexual assault levelled against students of Tasmanian schools were detailed, after being shared on a website by London-based survivor Chantel Contos, originally from Sydney.

READ: 'We need to do more': elite school rocked by sexual assault claims

One of the schools mentioned more on that website than others was the Hutchins School, located in Sandy Bay, with reports dating back to 2007 of students from schools, including my alma mater, St Michael's Collegiate.

One in five women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime - how many of them are brave enough to come forward, to speak to someone they trust or report their assault to police?

I wasn't.

In fact, until the story that The Examiner reported, I'd managed to suppress the memory of my sexual assault.

And as much as it hurts to remember, I'm strangely glad that I have because now I can process the trauma.

I was freshly 18 years old, just graduated school and in my first year at university - still relatively naive about the ways of the world, like most people my age.

I went for a night out with a couple of friends, where we ran into a couple of boys I'd known through school the previous few years.

I'll spare the details, but I felt so ashamed afterwards.

I was left feeling like I'd "asked for it" because he was of a higher social standing than me, and told me that "that's what friends do".

IN OTHER NEWS:

I remember going back to a friends house crying, curling up in a ball on the lounge room floor and refusing to talk because I didn't know how, or what to do - or whether I'd be believed, or blamed.

Times have changed since I was 18 - for better and for worse.

I don't remember ever being taught about consent - it may have come up, but as far as I and my friends can recall it was never a unit in class.

It needs to be taught in every school across the state and country.

Our young people are our future, and they need to be protected - and importantly they deserve to live in a world that is safe, and where they feel comfortable if they need to speak up and speak out.

We're in the middle of a state election - and this needs to be something that every party commits to improving and implementing.

I asked all party leaders whether they would commit to rolling out compulsory sexual consent and assault education.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said ensuring it was part of the education of young people is one way to tackle the problem.

"So many women and girls have a story to tell of consent not being given for sex, and 'no' not being accepted as an answer. That's sexual assault and rape. Australian men and teenage boys need to understand this," she said.

"Our election policy will include an expansion of the Respectful Relationships program to include specific sexual consent and assault prevention education components."

Labor leader Rebecca White said it was a community issue, and the school system had "a key role to play".

"A Labor Government will work with education experts and young people to embed consent education into the curriculum," she said.

"Schools facilitate a range of relationships programs and we will ensure that consent education is age appropriate and effective."

Premier Peter Gutwein said the government had already strengthened the laws in terms of cyberbullying.

"And in terms of rolling out more sexual education in schools that's obviously a matter that we'll have more to say on as we work our way through this campaign," he said.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, the following support services are available: