The NSW government has pulled an advertisement about its new affirmative consent laws after concerns were raised around TikTok videos that appear to feature the same male actor in the campaign.
"After being alerted by (2GB radio presenter) Ben Fordham to the offensive TikTok posts last night, made after filming of our Make No Doubt campaign, I immediately requested that the Department of Communities and Justice remove the video and related images," NSW attorney-general Mark Speakman said in a statement on Friday.
The content featuring the actor was wiped from all digital and social media platforms "as the TikTok account was in the same name and appears to belong to someone physically resembling the actor," the statement continued.
The statement from Mr Speakman added that the deletion was made to uphold the "integrity" of the initiative, and said police and social media checks had been done before filming.
The account was uncovered when a caller emailed Mr Fordham's radio show on Thursday, calling the actor behind one of the ads a "hypocrite". After receiving notice of the email, the state government pulled one of the videos within hours.
"Take one look at his social media, this bloke is promoting some extremely questionable content that flies in the face of respect for women," Mr Fordham said on the show, reading the email from a father who said his daughter had been dismayed by the commercial, having been approached by the male in person.
The TikTok account hosting the videos, which has more than 8500 followers, is filled with videos of the man resembling the actor approaching young women in public and asking them explicit questions.
“What’s something you don’t want your mum knowing?” the man asks in one video. Other vox pop questions to young women on nights out were more lewd.
A number of the videos have since been deleted from the account.
The NSW government ad was part of the 'Make No Doubt' social media campaign, which includes a number of 15-second clips that play out scenes in which affirmative consent is depicted in relatable scenarios between young sexual partners.
“Hey – want to do this another night?” the actor says to the woman in the now-deleted ad. “Yeah, I’d like that,” she replies.
“That’s how you do it,” the voiceover says. “Check consent, every time.”
The education campaign was created to promote new affirmative consent legislation that came into force in NSW on 1 June.
The laws, which have been described as "common sense reforms" and not “some woke lawyer view of the world" by Mr Speakman, mean consent is only given if a person says or does something to indicate this.
The TikTok creator has been contacted for comment.
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