KAVINA KUMAR, REPORTER: So Dan, what brought you to Mount Isa this week?
DAN REPACHOLI MP, SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MEN’S HEALTH: We’re here in Mount Isa talking to blokes and dads about all things fatherhood and men’s health. We spent time with the Dads’ Group and Tom, played a bit of golf with some local dads, and met with several community groups. We also visited the hospital to discuss their dads’ program for new and expecting fathers. The goal is to make sure dads are supported to be the best versions of themselves for their kids, partners and families.
KUMAR: After spending time with local dads and community groups, what have you learned about men in Mount Isa and the challenges they’re facing?
REPACHOLI: Rural and regional Australia is different, and Mount Isa is very different again from places like Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, even from where I’m from in the Hunter. That’s why it’s important we get out into these communities and speak directly with people, so we can create generational change that works across the whole country, not just in metropolitan areas.
KUMAR: What unique pressures do men face in remote mining communities like Mount Isa?
REPACHOLI: We have similar mining communities in the Hunter, and one of the biggest challenges is distance from services and support. In regional and remote areas, you don’t always have access to services at your fingertips like you do in the cities. We need to make support as accessible as possible, whether that’s through telehealth, online services or other approaches.
The purpose of this role is to get out there, have conversations, see what’s working, identify gaps, and then look at how we can create the generational change we want to see in men’s health.
KUMAR: How important is community connection when it comes to improving men’s health and wellbeing in regional areas?
REPACHOLI: Community connection is absolutely key. If the community isn’t on board, it doesn’t matter what services you bring in, they won’t get off the ground.
KUMAR: Regional Australia continues to record disproportionately high suicide rates among men. Why do you think this remains such a persistent issue?
REPACHOLI: Men’s suicide rates are higher across the country, but they’re even higher in rural and regional Australia. A lot of men don’t feel comfortable having conversations about their mental health, and they often feel services aren’t available to them.
Many have grown up being told to “toughen up”, not cry, and not talk about their feelings. But having those conversations isn’t weakness, it’s strength.
If we can encourage more men to speak up, see a doctor regularly, get blood tests and health checks every 12 months, we’ll save thousands of lives.
KUMAR: The North West continues to record high domestic violence rates. What role does early support play in prevention?
REPACHOLI: Early support is critical. Domestic violence rates are high in rural and regional Australia, and I’ve heard the concerns here in Mount Isa as well. It’s something that absolutely needs attention and action.
Assistant Social Services Minister Ged Kearney is doing important work in this space, and when I return to Canberra next week, I’ll be speaking with her about what we’ve heard here and encouraging further conversations with local groups and communities in this region.
KUMAR: After the conversations you’ve had in Mount Isa today, what do you think the region needs more of?
REPACHOLI: We need more communication and more honest conversations, celebrating what’s working well while also talking openly about what still needs improvement.
There’s some amazing and innovative work happening here, but there will always be people who fall through the cracks. We need to take what we’ve heard back to Canberra and continue discussions with ministers about how we can improve services and support for rural and regional communities.
KUMAR: Mornington Island and other Gulf communities have seen a staggering number of male suicides in recent months. What is the federal government doing specifically to address this issue?
REPACHOLI: Robbie Katter raised this with me earlier today, and it was the first time I’d heard those particular concerns.
When I return to Canberra next week, I’ll be speaking directly with Assistant Minister for Suicide Prevention and Rural Health Emma McBride to find out what support is currently in place and what more can be done. The numbers I’ve heard are alarming, and it’s something that needs urgent discussion.
KUMAR: As Special Envoy for Men’s Health, will you visit these Gulf communities?
REPACHOLI: We’ll certainly try to visit as many rural and regional communities as possible. Australia is a huge country with a very spread-out population, so we can’t be everywhere all the time, but I absolutely want these communities on the radar.
I’ll be speaking with my team about opportunities to visit, and we’ll definitely be returning to this region.
KUMAR: Do loneliness and isolation among men require different approaches in Indigenous and remote communities?
REPACHOLI: Absolutely. That’s one of the reasons this role was created. If we already had the answers, we wouldn’t need to be addressing the fact that men account for around 75 per cent of suicide deaths in this country, or that thousands of men die every year from treatable conditions like prostate cancer.
Over the next 18 months to two years, our focus is on travelling, listening and learning from organisations and from everyday people on the ground.
Sometimes governments hear one thing from organisations and something very different from people directly affected. We need to understand where support is actually reaching people and where it isn’t before we can create lasting, meaningful change.
KUMAR: You’re obviously a highly accomplished shooter. How important was that community to your own mental health and support network?
REPACHOLI: Very important. I’ve been around shooting ranges my whole life, for more than 40 years. It’s taught me resilience, how to handle pressure, and how to deal with both winning and losing.
In sport, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and you have to learn how to process both. That experience builds resilience and mental strength.
I still do a bit of shooting now, although not at the international level anymore.
KUMAR: Have you seen a shift away from team sports and clubs toward more individual activities, and is that weakening community connection?
REPACHOLI: Personally, I still see team sports remaining very strong, and I think they’re incredibly important. My daughters play team sports as well as some individual sports.
Team sports teach you how to work with others, how to be coached and mentored, and how to win and lose together.
As an individual athlete, success or failure rests entirely on you. In a team, everyone supports each other, and you learn how to lift each other up when someone’s struggling. That sense of community is really valuable.
KUMAR: Queensland helps families cover junior sports costs, but support drops off after 18. Should governments do more to encourage adult participation in sport and community groups?
REPACHOLI: It’s a difficult question. I think the Queensland Government’s support for junior sport is fantastic because it helps more young people participate.
But after 18, life changes. People start university, enter the workforce, form relationships and take on new responsibilities. Participation drop-offs aren’t always about cost.
In shooting sports, for example, we often lose juniors between 18 and 21 because they move from junior competition into senior competition. They go from being highly successful juniors to suddenly competing against much more experienced athletes, and that transition can be daunting.
So it’s not always financial, sometimes it’s about confidence, life changes and adapting to a new environment.