The legal age of consent
The legal age of consent is the age that the law says you can agree (consent) to have sex with another person.
In most states and territories the legal age of consent is 16 years of age for both men and women. In South Australia and Tasmania it is 17 years of age.
It is illegal for an adult to have sex with children who are below the age of consent. There are serious penalties for anyone breaking these laws, regardless of whether or not the child has agreed. These laws protect young people from sexual exploitation.
You can find out more by talking to a doctor, or contacting a sexual health clinic or family planning clinic, which are listed in the White Pages.