Motions

International Men's Day

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. S.L. Game:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that 19 November 2025 is International Men's Day, focusing on men's health, championing male role models, and recognising the positive values men bring to the world, their families, and their community;

2 Accepts that men face a series of health challenges that need to be acknowledged and addressed to help our communities function to their full fullest potential;

3. Identifies that these challenges include but are not limited to the fact that in Australia three out of four suicides are men, two out of three violent deaths are men, and that men die years younger than women on average;

4. Recognises that men deserve to be celebrated on International Men's Day in the same vein as we celebrate and champion women on International Women's Day; and

5. Acknowledges that all members of Parliament need to do their best to start changing the negative narrative around men in society.

(Continued from 12 November 2025).

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (15:46): I rise to speak in favour of this particular motion from the Hon. Sarah Game, recognising International Men's Day and the contribution that men and boys make to our families, workplaces and communities. International Men's Day is observed around the world on 19 November. Its purpose is simple and positive. It asks us to reflect on men's health and wellbeing, to celebrate positive male role models and to acknowledge the values and strengths that men bring to their families and communities. Those aims sit comfortably alongside the goals of International Women's Day which is very similar in nature. Both days encourage us to build healthier, more respectful and more supportive communities for everyone.

The challenges facing men and boys are well known and too rarely discussed in a constructive way in some forums. We know that three out of four suicides in Australia are men, and they represent fathers, sons, brothers, colleagues and friends, and that families and communities feel those losses very deeply.

Recognising either International Men's Day or International Women's Day is not about diminishing the experiences of the other gender. It is about taking a balanced approach to gender and wellbeing, including a frank acknowledgement, in this case, that many men struggle in silence and are often reluctant to seek help. We also know from the data that even on the less difficult issues such as getting regular check-ups with their GPs and fairly standard measures, they often do not engage with those. They need someone like me to organise things for them.

They may carry expectations about stoicism and self-reliance that make it harder to reach out. When we shine a light on these issues in a respectful way we help to break down those barriers and encourage healthier conversations.

Given the time and the volume of work that we do, and the fact that the Hon. Ian Hunter is looking at me with those eyes—he is loving every word I am saying but he would like me to stop now so I will do as I am being eyeballed.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:48): I am beyond delighted to stand here today and support, in common cause with the Hon. Michelle Lensink and the Hon. Sarah Game, this motion to celebrate International Men's Day. I love men. I love men a lot, an awful lot. I love men in all their diversity. I love straight men, I love gay men, I love bi-men, I love trans-men, and I am delighted that Sarah Game is bringing—

An honourable member: And you love right-wing men.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Sometimes. I am delighted Sarah Game has brought to us today a motion that recognises the contributions of men in all their diversity across our community. Mr President, I have also become quite fond of you over our years together, and of your very firm handling of me and other members of the committee in this chamber as we go about our business. With a very instructive and guiding manner, you are often gentle—and sometimes not—but you are always considerate and empathetic of our needs in this chamber. You are the epitome of the qualities that this motion speaks to in terms of men and their values and how we should be operating in our community. We all look up to you, and we will miss your guiding hand on us when you leave.

Some people in the community may see International Men's Day as an opportunity to reinforce old, toxic versions of masculinity, but that is not the purpose of International Men's Day, as the Hon. Sarah Game knows too well. International Men's Day is a reminder that there are real and difficult challenges faced by some of the men and boys around us in our community, and we need to share the challenges that they face, challenges we need to work together to overcome.

This year's theme is celebrating men and boys and offers a chance to celebrate all men and all boys, as I said: gay men and bi-men and heterosexual men and trans-men, and all the diversity the community offers. I would like to briefly reflect on some positive role models that can be provided to our community in this day and age, role models that I have looked up to.

Firstly, Mr Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, was a prominent advocate for the marriage equality campaign in 2019 and became the first leader of an Australian state or territory government to marry someone of the same sex. Equally important, he has consistently supported anti-discrimination and inclusivity of LGBTIQ communities, being a wonderful role model for men in the ACT and across the country.

Ian Thorpe, former Australian Olympic swimmer, has advocated for sporting bodies to do more for queer inclusivity in sports and has been among calls for greater support to help professionals experiencing homophobia in their fields. Our very own Hon. Robert Simms, former City of Adelaide councillor, Senator for South Australia, and now in a much better place, a member of the Legislative Council, has always put the perspective of the LGBTIQ community at the forefront of his advocacy and is a wonderful role model for young men in our society—although he is getting on a bit now.

Mr Ian Roberts, actor and former rugby league footballer, came out as gay in 1995, making him the first rugby league player to do so. He has since gone on to become a director and co-founder of Qtopia Sydney, a museum dedicated to queer history and storytelling. Uncle Jack Charles, actor and activist, was a gay icon and role model for LGBTIQ Indigenous youth by encouraging them to be their true selves and to be strong in their own image.

The Hon. Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court of Australia, was the first openly gay member of the High Court. He has championed human rights throughout his career and is a fantastic role model for men. Finally, there are many others but I will conclude with this: Mr Chansey Paech, former Deputy Chief Minister, Attorney-General and Speaker of the Northern Territory was the country's first openly gay Indigenous parliamentarian. He continues to strive for equity and equality for queer Territorians and is a lovely, lovely man and a great role model for his people.

These are some of the men, just a very small sample, who uphold the characteristics of what masculinity should look like in the modern day. These are men who can challenge harmful norms and support men and boys in ways that benefit everyone. They are fantastic representatives of their community. International Men's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many men and boys who are already leading by example in our society, particularly those who show respect, kindness and courage every day, as you have done in your job, Mr President. I thank you.

The Hon. S.L. GAME (15:53): Thank you to the Hon. Michelle Lensink and the Hon. Ian Hunter for their contributions. I am glad to have bipartisan support on this particular motion, in which I have asked for International Men's Day to be equally celebrated with International Women's Day, focusing on men's health and also championing male role models and changing the negative narrative that is around men.

What is often discussed in this particular topic is the suicide rate, and that is very important. It is often said, 'Well, hang on, men have it really good,' but actually men die earlier, they have fewer years of healthy life and they take their lives a lot more than women do. So those statistics and that focus are valid.

However, as I spoke at this International Men's Day, the other side of it is actually our struggling young boys. They are struggling at school, they are more likely to be suspended, they are more likely to be expelled, they are less likely to be engaged and they are behind girls and more likely to be needing additional support. They are less likely to finish year 12 and less likely to go to university. Hopefully, we are moving away from the idea that men and boys have it so good and we can start, as parliamentarians, to celebrate the positive men in our lives and in our community, as well as raising awareness.

I want to just briefly thank the many members of parliament who attended the International Men's Day that was held recently on 19 November. We had, I think, 360 people attend at the Hilton hotel. It has been really wonderful to see the growth and development of that in this state, and I hope that continues. We had the Premier, the Hon. Peter Malinauskas, come to speak. We had the opposition leader, the Hon. Vincent Tarzia.

We had Minister Koutsantonis, Minister Scriven, Minister Bourke, Minister Hildyard and Nadia Clancy MP, member for Elder. We had the Hon. Ben Hood, who generously obtained a table of 10. We had Penny Pratt MP, member for Frome. We managed to raise almost $150,000 for MATES in Construction as well as money for Mentally Fit EP and Teen Challenge, which deals with men and boys with addiction. I am glad to see a motion like this supported in this place.

Motion carried.