CHILDREN will be taught to break gender stereotypes, reject discrimination and be accepting of diversity under an anti-family violence program to be rolled out in some WA schools next year.

The teachers’ union said there was a definite need for the program as harassment of a sexual, sexist and gender nature was common in schools.

The development came as the former sex discrimination commissioner called on childcare and preschools to read books to children that have a more gender-equal message.

Elizabeth Broderick said achieving things like pay equality and zero violence against women starts with the messages we are sending our kids from a very early age and Australia needs to step up and do more.

“When you look at what is happening in Finland, in Norway and Sweden, they are starting with education at preschool level and helping children understand that boys and girls can do anything,” she said.

Camera Icon The program will also cover gender equality. Credit: Aaron Burden/Unsplash

“Their picture books are ones which show men in caring roles and women as scientists.”

Ms Broderick said Australian childcare settings and preschools needed to provide young children similar learning opportunities locally.

“A lot of what our children see and are taught is subconscious gender stereotyping and what we have to do is really shift that and we won’t shift that until the social norms change,” she said.

Kevin Donnelly, director of the Education Standards Institute, said there was a real risk of “damaging boys” by changing fairytales and removing masculine books.

“It is wrong to try and attempt to indoctrinate children with a politically correct gender agenda,” he said.

Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Simone McGurk said WA’s Respectful Relationships program was “on track” to start at an “initial set of schools” in 2018, but did not reveal details.

The program is designed to educate children across all year levels about the importance of healthy relationships and gender-based attitudes in a bid to help stamp out family and domestic violence in the long run.

Ms McGurk said the “proposed approach” for the WA model was to use curriculum materials developed by Our Watch — a national organisation that aims to address the domestic violence — while programs in other States would also be considered.

She said it would equip WA students with the tools to “think critically about real-life situations and assess and adapt their own values, attitudes and behaviour”. Under Victoria’s curriculum, students from Year 1 are taught to challenge traditional fairytales, gender-based roles and labels while older primary school students are educated on domestic and sexual violence, the dangers of “sexting”, same-sex relationships and transgender people.

Our Watch spokeswoman Cara Gleeson said developing age-appropriate material was important to build the skills of young people to reject gender-based discrimination, stereotyping and aggression but trust needed to be placed in the expertise of teachers and schools to tailor classroom lessons.

State School Teachers Union president Pat Byrne welcomed the program but was worried an investment of about $1 million would be inadequate.

By comparison, the Victorian Government spent $21.8 million on a similar scheme.

WA Secondary School Executives Association president Janette Gee said it was important to “start young” with social and emotional education. “