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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-13 Daily Xml
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Positive Masculinity

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:27): Last week, I attended the official opening of the second stage of the Remembering Courageous Women Mosaic Mural in Gawler. Minister Hildyard was present to cut the ribbon. The mural has been supported by the Town of Gawler and Villawood Properties alongside a number of other donors to the project.

The mural is a place for reflection and peace. It honours the lives of women and children who have been affected by domestic and family violence. It is a bright and beautiful work of art, designed by local resident Sandra Sullivan. It is a work of hope for a better future for all and, in particular, for women and children in our community.

Things need to change if all in our community are going to live in dignity and be treated with dignity. Part of that change requires the way boys, young men and men relate to women. The question then arises: how do we achieve that change? Do we adopt deficit or punitive models of change or approaches that enable communities to raise healthy boys and men for a better society?

I was recently invited to attend the International Conference on Positive Masculinity, hosted by the Australian Foundation for Positive Masculinity, a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne. The foundation believes raising healthy boys benefits all genders and society. They argue that sometimes we need backbone, sometimes we need heart. Mostly, we need men who are kind, compassionate and comfortable with who they are, who do not feel the need to prove their manhood, who are flexible when approaching life's challenges.

Instead of leaving things to chance—or worse, risk a lost generation—we should embrace positive masculinity and show our boys how they can make their vital contributions to society, culture, families and friends. The foundation believes that right now boys are at risk. As we strive for an inclusive future, free of gendered violence, we acknowledge that being male has well-documented advantages. But there are also specific challenges for boys and men: higher suicide rates, school dropout rates and incarceration rates, and men are less likely to wear sunscreen or a seatbelt, more likely to be engaged in violence and the list goes on.

Sadly, as boys become men and then elders, these challenges often worsen. It is a wicked problem, but the reality is that traditional masculinities are harmful to boys as well. Through their research, the foundation has found that boys respond well to evidence-informed, high-impact interventions. The best places for these interventions are in schools and sporting clubs. Teachers and coaches play key roles in developing healthy masculinities—boys and young men who understand their place in the world and are motivated to belong.

We want boys who understand the rules of the game in life and respect the umpire. Boys need to be connected to their inner worlds, their imaginations and their emotions. We need boys who understand that there are many ways of being male and that these are not found on the dark web. The complex situation facing our boys is a tremendous opportunity for leadership in our community.

We can create change through positive masculinity, a pro-social and strengths-based approach to raising the boys and men we need for this age. The foundation has evidence-informed programs to train teachers, coaches and parents on how to teach our boys to live emotionally and physically healthy lives. There are resources being developed and measures we can take to raise healthy boys and men for a better society.

The foundation works with a number of schools and organisations to undertake research and deliver these programs. In its first year, the foundation worked with Brighton Grammar in developing a curriculum, being programs, parent programs and staff development. At the moment, they are doing some work at The Browning School in New York, delivering staff development and parent programs. They have worked with the Danny Frawley Centre on athlete and parent programs. They are undertaking research with both the University of California's Centre for Boys and the Orygen Centre for Youth Mental Health.

The conference heard from a number of speakers who provided examples of how the strengths-based approach to developing positive masculinities can improve the lives of boys and the people around them. The foundation argues that we should help boys and young men embrace positive ways to be men in the 21st century for today and tomorrow.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Sir, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed:

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