Doorstop with Dan Repacholi MP, Melbourne – 6 May 2026

HON GED KEARNEY MP, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVCIES, ASSITSANT MINISTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF FAMILY, DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE: My name is Ged Kearney, and I’m the Assistant Minister for the Prevention of Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. I’m here with my wonderful colleague Dan Repacholi, the Federal Member for Hunter and Australia’s Special Envoy for Men’s Health.
 
We also have a number of other people here with us, including the Member for Menzies, Gabriel Ng, and the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Micaela Cronin. We’re very pleased to have Micaela with us, along with Ben Vasiliou, CEO of The Man Cave, Filipe Gama e Silva, CEO of the Australian Men’s Health Forum, and a wide range of people doing excellent work in this space.
 
We are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to prevent family and domestic violence within a generation. A key part of that agenda is working with men. If we have healthy, resilient, strong and confident men and boys, we know that lifts the whole community and helps ensure our communities are safe.
 
Right now, we’re seeing data and trends that show modern societal pressures are having adverse impacts, particularly on young men. These pressures can affect relationships, self-esteem, and lead to isolation and, in some cases, violence. There are many negative influences we need to counter because we don’t want them drowning out the strong Australian values of equality, inclusion and respect.
 
Dan and I will be travelling around the country, speaking with communities, experts, young men and boys about what it means to be a healthy man. How do we foster resilience, good relationships, and a positive understanding of strength?
 
Too often, young men are told that being strong means not showing vulnerability. This has been a long-standing cultural norm in Australia, and it’s something we need to address.
 
The good news is that positive change is happening. We know, for example, that strong relationships with fathers or father figures significantly reduce the likelihood of violence later in life. We also know that normalising help-seeking behaviour is critical. Seeking help is not a weakness, it’s a strength.
 
We’ll be travelling, listening to communities and organisations about what works, what doesn’t, and what support is needed to help young men lead healthy, fulfilling lives, because ultimately, that’s what everyone wants.
 
We’ll be promoting connection, encouraging help-seeking, countering harmful ideologies, and highlighting the diversity of healthy masculinities. All of this will inform future government policy.
 
I’m also pleased to announce an additional $861,000 to extend the successful Healthy Mates program. This evidence-based program works in schools, community organisations and sporting groups to promote healthy expressions of masculinity and respectful relationships.
 
I’ll now hand over to Dan.
 
DAN REPACHOLI MP, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MEN’S HEALTH: G’day everyone, Dan Repacholi, Federal Member for Hunter and Australia’s Special Envoy for Men’s Health.
 
Thanks, Ged. It’s a pleasure to be here with you, the Commissioner, and everyone involved.
 
We’re here to talk about healthy masculinities, what it means to be a respectful, healthy man in Australia today. I’m really looking forward to this tour so we can hear directly from young men about what’s working and what isn’t.
 
We want to make real change, to see young men grow into great men, build strong families, and create healthy communities generation after generation.
 
As men, we often just get on with the job, head down, working hard, but we don’t always talk about what’s going on inside. We don’t talk about our struggles enough.
 
This tour is about having those real, honest conversations. Listening first, then acting. That’s how we make meaningful change.
 
We want to see men who are great partners, great dads, great uncles, strong role models. And when we have that, we build stronger communities for everyone.
 
We’re looking forward to speaking not just with organisations, but with everyday men, young men, and women too, because this is a whole-of-community issue.
 
MICAELA CRONIN, DOMESTIC, FAMILY AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE COMMISSIONER: When I started just over three years ago as Australia’s first Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, I travelled around the country.
 
One consistent message stood out: “Work with our men. Support our men and boys.”
 
We must continue focusing on keeping women and children safe, that remains critical. But if we’re not also addressing men’s use of violence and its drivers, we won’t prevent violence in the long term.
 
We need a collaborative approach, working with men and boys, and listening to women and girls about what keeps them safe.
 
This tour is an important opportunity to hear directly from men and boys about what supports them. If we are to prevent violence, we must understand and address the root causes, including men’s violence against women, other men, and themselves.
 
BEN VASILIOU, CEO, THE MAN CAVE: Hi everyone, Ben Vasiliou here, CEO of The Man Cave.
 
It’s great to be part of launching this important national conversation about what it means to be a man in Australia today.
 
The reality is confronting:
 
75% of suicides are men.  Every day, 7–9 men die by suicide in Australia
Men are responsible for 94% of violence against women and children
 
We must address this.
 
Outdated ideas of masculinity, based on dominance, control and aggression, can be harmful. But we’re not saying masculinity is bad. Qualities like courage, strength, leadership and protection are valuable.
 
What we need is a broader definition, one that includes compassion, respect, emotional openness, and healthy relationships.
 
These identities form early. Our research with 3,000 teenage boys found that 1 in 2 are experiencing mental health distress.
 
We can change this by encouraging help-seeking and reshaping what it means to be a man.
 
This tour is a powerful opportunity to listen, learn, and build a healthier vision of masculinity across Australia.
 
FILIPE GAMA E SILVA, CEO, AUSTRALIAN MEN’S HEALTH FORUM: Thank you. This is an important announcement and a valuable opportunity.
 
Community organisations across Australia are already doing critical work engaging men in these conversations. This tour allows that experience and knowledge to inform government policy.
 
Right now, there’s a vacuum. If we don’t get this conversation right, others will fill that space and sometimes with harmful or toxic messages.
 
Our members bring deep experience in engaging men and promoting help-seeking behaviours. We welcome the opportunity to share that knowledge with government to drive meaningful change.