International Men's Day

The Hon. S.L. GAME (22:07): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that 19 November 2024 is International Men's Day, focusing on men's health, showcasing male role models, fostering positive gender relations, and advocating for constructive expressions of masculinity;

2. Recognises the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and communities;

3. Acknowledges that men face a series of health challenges that need to be addressed to have our communities function to their fullest potential; and

4. Recognises that men deserve to be celebrated on International Men's Day to the same extent we celebrate women on International Women's Day.

International Men's Day: I am really proud to have put International Men's Day on the South Australian landscape for the past two years, with sold-out events weeks in advance of the night. This year's event raised almost $15,000 for Lifeline, and it was heartening to hear from the CEO that every $100 will go to an hour of expert suicide intervention services. I am grateful to Legacy for being the charity partner in the previous year.

I have always been clear that International Men's Day should not be a political event. It is pretty obvious from communicating with the public that men and women of all different political persuasions are supportive of an event like this on the calendar. I particularly thank my parliamentary colleagues from both side of politics, who this year turned out to show their support and the gracious panel and speakers who shared their stories openly and for no fee.

It was a most fantastic crowd and atmosphere that gathered on the recent evening of 19 November, International Men's Day. Times have changed and progress has been made in terms of the promotion of the acceptance of men talking about their feelings, especially if they are feeling depressed or anxious. Much work still needs to be done on available services and funding inequalities, but certainly from my observation and interactions, particularly with groups such as Men's Sheds, it is remarkable and moving to see how much more accepted reaching out for help and admitting one is struggling for men has become.

Like one stakeholder told me, it is time to move on from a focus primarily on awareness to tangible implementation of effective services and policies. I commend the government on some recent contributions and advances they have undertaken in this area, including but not limited to their financial support of a fellowship into male suicide. I remember growing up with my father trying to instil in me that stress was not real and was merely a sort of fabrication by the mind that just needed to be discarded as a malfunctioning of the brain, and to not really pay too much attention to this imagined stress. It is a great thing that times have changed and I think my father would have been shocked but ultimately comforted by the open discussions that seem to be occurring in Men's Sheds today.

But what of the conversation about celebrating men? What if, for a moment, we as a society want to take a break from the doom and gloom statistics on men and shine a light on the enormous contribution men are making to society individually and as a society at large? Are we allowed to? It seems some would rather not. Thankfully, I believe individuals who want all men to stay in a corner riddled with collective guilt over the actions of a few are in the minority, but some of them have been given the privileged position of speaking to us at large.

I have spoken extensively about the positive contributions of men both in parliament and out of parliament as fathers, workers, members of the Defence Force, brothers, sons, friends and so on. I do feel strongly about this for my own son, for example, who is nine years old. My son is the most sensitive of my three children. His empathy and love for me and his sisters is the best gift I could have asked for and I intend to nurture it for my remaining days. I do not want my son feeling a collective guilt and shame for simply being male.

This sentiment is shared by mothers everywhere and of all political and religious or non-religious identifications. This is because it is simply about loving your child and wanting the best for them. There are many damning statistics regarding men and I will not repeat them all here. I do, however, just want to focus on a couple. Seven out of nine suicides are men and the leading cause of death amongst men aged 15 to 44 in Australia is suicide—15 to 44. This statistic instils fear into every mother and father and indicates clearly the tragedy of men who are leaving their young families and partners behind.

I have spoken of my own vulnerabilities as a young person and want to revisit that briefly. I remember sitting in maths class in year 10. I was failing and going nowhere. I have spoken of my great teacher, Mr Weathered, before and how he helped turn my life around, but there is an important person missing from the story: Toby. Toby was tall and good-looking and he was just so smart and kind to everyone. I, on the other hand, seemed and felt, quite frankly, a bit messed up and as though I were throwing my opportunities away.

Luckily for me, Toby was in my mathematics class. I cannot deny Mr Weathered's willingness to see me at recess and lunch with all my mathematical queries, but it was Toby who really took the load. Sitting in front of me and having essentially mastered four unit mathematics in year 10, he was more than willing to be on tap for any questions I had as a failing student who up until then had done away with trying at school. I changed schools in year 11, but Toby and Mr Weathered had put me in good stead and I achieved full marks in year 12 three unit mathematics.

When I bumped into Toby at the start of my first year at the University of Sydney to study veterinary science, I thought what good luck. He told me he was studying an advanced mathematics degree. I should have thanked Toby for helping me achieve my then dream of becoming a veterinarian. Shortly after, I heard from another school friend that Toby had been found at a holiday spot he frequented with his family. Apparently, he had been battling depression and anxiety, from what I gathered from a heartfelt poem he had written that was read out at his funeral. He was the only child of his grieving parents.

I know there are simply too many similar stories. The thing is, if we want things to get better we cannot simply have a conversation that only allows either the demonising of men or airspace for men to vent their mental demise. For things to get better, it is my belief that the narrative around men must change and positive conversation must be allowed. Positive events must be allowed. In organising this event, while juggling my three children and parliamentary duties during school holidays, I was notified of a disappointing local radio segment featuring two presenters. When I finally got my hands on the segment, it was worse than I had imagined. The following is a transcript from part of the segment between David Penberthy and Will Goodings:

It's this International Men's Day thing. It's not like a sort of, you know, ban all immigrants or abolish native title event, it's yeah it's, but it's One Nation organised by Sarah Game MLC. She has thrown in her lot with this International Men's Day event, which is something which as a bloke I've got to say I find it's a bit dubious.

It goes on:

Maybe when a bloke gets murdered once every four days by his partner we should start thinking seriously about it, or maybe when men won't go to court in the event that they have been sexually assaulted because they don't want to go through the process of giving evidence about their female attacker. When men have to grapple with issues like that, maybe then we need International Men's Day. Until then, maybe we don't. That's just my opinion. Many will disagree, but I don't think too many of them are female though.

I would say that many mothers, sisters and daughters will disagree, as well as many men who have also contacted me with their serious disappointment at listening to that conversation. I was going to comment further on that, but really they have said it all themselves. I am proud of this International Men's Day event and I am grateful to everyone who helped make it a success, including all of those within these parliamentary walls.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (22:15): I rise to speak in support of the motion brought to the house by the Hon. Sarah Game, which is in support of International Men's Day. This year's theme for the day is Men's Health Champions, a rallying call to enhance the health of men and boys across Australia.

Men's health is not just an isolated concern, it is a societal one. Every day in this country we lose 50 men before they turn 75 to preventable causes. These are husbands, these are fathers, these are brothers and these are friends. They are lives that could be saved if we focused on improving health services, awareness and education around men's health. It is an alarming figure and it highlights areas of our health system that disproportionately affect men.

We need to recognise that there are areas where men are falling behind in health outcomes. Men are often reluctant to seek medical help and are statistically more likely to smoke, drink excessively and delay doctor visits. These are habits that have long-term consequences, especially in rural and regional communities where men are further removed from healthcare services.

For Aboriginal men, this disparity is even greater. In Australia, men on average live seven years less than women. The national male health policy, first introduced in 2010, laid the groundwork for research and policymaking that can change these realities. The previous Coalition federal government also recognised the importance of this issue by committing $19.7 million to the National Men's Health Strategy 2020-2030. This strategy focuses on key areas, such as mental health, chronic disease, risk taking, sexual and reproductive health, and healthy ageing. It is a framework that acknowledges the unique challenges men face and the need for targeted interventions.

Mental health in particular is a pressing concern. In Australia, men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. In 2022 alone, 2,455 men took their own lives. That is almost seven men every single day. We need to ask ourselves, 'Why is it that men are less likely to seek help for mental health issues?' The stigma around men seeking support must be addressed. Currently, only 36 per cent of men with mental disorders seek help compared with 51 per cent of women. This gap is costing lives.

As we consider this motion, it is important to remember that this is not just a policy issue, it is a personal one. This issue hits close to home for many of us. Men's health, particularly mental health, is often overlooked in our public discourse and we cannot afford to continue this silence. There are already some incredible resources and groups working hard to support men, from organisations like Beyond Blue and the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation to grassroots efforts such as the Mr Perfect barbecues and the Men's Shed movement. These initiatives are helping men to connect, to talk and to heal. They are creating spaces for men to belong, to support one another and to access the help they need in a way that resonates.

As we bring this motion to the floor, I encourage my colleagues to speak up and to advocate for men in their communities, particularly those in rural areas where men in the agricultural sector face unique mental health challenges due to the pressure and isolation of primary production. Their contributions to our state economy and to their communities are vital, but so too is their wellbeing. Let us use this opportunity to not only acknowledge the challenges but to actively pursue the solutions. The opposition commends this work and supports the motion.

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (22:19): I rise to speak in support of the motion on behalf of the government. International Men's Day provides an opportunity to highlight challenges men face, including pressures of toxic masculinity and mental or physical health challenges. It also offers an opportunity to promote healthy and constructive masculinity and the role of men in advocating for gender equality and prevention of violence.

This year's theme was Positive Male Role Models. I think this was a very good theme. Examples of constructive masculinity should be promoted and upheld. We all benefit when this is the case. It is very important that we have positive male role models given that in 2021-22 the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 13 per cent of all Australian adults had experienced sexual violence by a man, compared to 1.8 per cent by a woman. It is very important that we have positive male role models given that, according to the data collected from the ABS from 2022-23, almost four in five family and domestic violence offenders were found to be men.

I welcome any measure to reform our society and lift men out of the struggles, circumstances and behaviour that leads them to commit violence. It is important to support efforts that redefine masculinity in healthy and inclusive ways that encourage emotional vulnerability, care for mental wellbeing and the rejection of rigid gender roles. Men's issues must also be viewed through an intersectional lens. Race, sexual orientation and other identities compound the challenges some men experience.

International Men's Day should be used to engage men as allies in the fight for gender equality, highlight the ways in which patriarchal systems hurt everyone and on support for health and other issues specifically impacting men. It should not be used as an opportunity to minimise the impact of gender inequality and violence towards women and children. I welcome any motion to constructively address the very real struggles that men face in society that are unique to them.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (22:21): I have asked that this council acknowledge that 19 November 2024 is International Men's Day, to recognise the positive value men bring to this world and to acknowledge the serious health challenges that are faced by men and to recognise that men deserve to be celebrated on International Men's Day to the same extent that we celebrate women on International Women's Day. I want to thank everyone who spoke in support of the motion: the Hon. Nicola Centofanti and the Hon. El Dannawi. I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.