Woodville High School had the privilege of hosting the Honourable Blair Boyer, Minister for Education; the Honourable Kyam Maher, Attorney General; and Mr Michael Brown MP, Assistant Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, Defence, and Space Industries. The visit marked the announcement of the State Government’s new legislation, which will criminalise the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, a significant step towards enhancing online safety for all South Australians. Further details about this important legislation can be found here.
The timing of the visit also coincided with the first major SACE exam of the year. The media arrived early to capture footage as our Year 12 students prepared to sit their Stage 2 Mathematical Methods exam. Minister Boyer and Attorney General Maher addressed our students, wishing them every success and offering practical advice and encouragement.
This visit recognises Woodville High School’s proactive commitment to respectful relationships and online safety education. We believe, the most powerful preventative measure has been educating our young people. Woodville High School is proactive in embedding the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum across all subjects. In particular, our Health curriculum provides a strong focus on staying safe online, building respectful relationships, and developing students’ capabilities to critically evaluate information, discern what is true, and use technology both ethically and with moral principle. The capabilities and dispositions embedded through our Thrive (Pastoral Care) Program and the South Australian Curriculum for Public Education specifically equip students to critically navigate challenges such as deepfakes, fostering digital literacy, critical thinking, communication, ethical understanding, and resilience in a complex and rapidly changing world.
Our student leaders, Natasha Brice, Mo Elwan, Virat Sharma, Joash Sutherland, Isaac Williams, Zeb Masina, Jenny Huynh, and Grace Giang joined our Principal in engaging with the media. Natasha, Mo, and Virat responded with confidence to questions from ABC, Channel 7, Channel 10, and Channel 9 about their experiences and perspectives on these important issues.
We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful for their leadership, as well as the support of our local and state representatives in ensuring that the voices of young people are heard and valued in conversations about online safety and educational success.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this visit a memorable and meaningful occasion for our school community.
