The Victorian government has announced plans to replace special religious instruction classes in schools with lessons on domestic violence and healthy relationships.

From next year SRI classes currently run in Victorian schools will be moved to before or after school, or during lunch time to make way for new 30 minute classes on world histories, cultures, faiths and ethics.

A class about domestic violence and healthy relationships will be compulsory for all kindergarten to year 10 students.

According to the Victorian government the new program will focus on challenging ideas of prejudice, discrimination and harassment which often lead to violence in households.

Family Violence Prevention Minister Fiona Richardson said in a statement the classes are the first step to stopping violence.

“Teaching healthy, respectful relationships is key to preventing violence,” she said.

“We’re including it in the curriculum so that every Victorian school teaches students these important skills and lessons.”

Education Minister James Merlino says the new program is an improvement on the previous one.

“You can’t have 20% of school kids undertaking special religious education, while the other children are not getting teaching or learning, during precious curriculum time,” he told ABC radio earlier today.

“I understand that some people are going to be upset by this decision, but it’s the right thing to do.”

The decision to axe SRI from the curriculum was reportedly made without any discussions with the current providers of the classes.

Rod Ward, a spokesman for Access Ministries, the main SRI provider in Victoria, says his company has not been consulted by the government at this stage.

“We only found out about this last night,” he told BuzzFeed Australia .

“We’re disappointed that the government didn’t consult with the various SRI providers. They also didn’t consult with parents. We think this decision should be reviewed.”

A spokesperson for Fairness in Religions in School, a group which has spent more than four years fighting to have SRI removed from schools, said it was happy with its victory.

“We won, we got what we wanted,” she said.

An outpouring of responses, both supportive and negative, were posted on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews Facebook page when he announced the plans. p>

“What an achievement! There is a time and a place for indoctrination and it is not in state schools,” wrote one reader.

“Sorry to see you and yours have no spiritual side. More burden to parents in seeking after hours tuition for religion when they already work long unfriendly family shifts for planned cut penalty rates,” wrote another.

It seems NSW Labor has no plans to follow in Victoria’s footsteps with Mr Andrews’s counterpart, Opposition Leader Luke Foley, saying he does not support the policy.