CQ Today – Debate grows over modern masculinity and boys’ issues

I have four sons and I do worry how hard it is in the modern world for young boys. Young boys are squeezed between two extremes. Some lecture them that men are to blame for all the ills of the world. These extremists claim that there is something “toxic” about masculinity. A few years ago a Gillette ad even tried to call out “toxic masculinity” in a desperate, and hypocritical, attempt to sell razor blades. Understandably there has been a backlash to this unjust and bigoted condemnation of half the human race. There has been the rise of the so-called “man-o-sphere”. Some, but by no means all of them, have engaged in the opposite sin of calling out all women as the problem. Despite espousing anti-women rhetoric, Andrew Tate became the most googled man in the world. For the sake of our boys and men, we need a more balanced, realistic and positive discussion about masculinity. This is not just to help men, because all women have Dads, sons and brothers too. As Warren Farrell, the American author who wrote *The Boy Crisis*, has observed “When only one sex wins, both sexes lose.” The women’s movement has helped women advance in careers and achieve more independence and freedom. There has been a Federal Minister for Women since 1983. So to build on this success, this week the LNP appointed Llew O’Brien, the Federal Member for Wide Bay, as the Shadow Special Envoy for Men and Boys. Llew will be tasked to develop a comprehensive policy approach to helping create stronger and more resilient men and boys. Llew had a 16-year career in the police. Just weeks before he became a Parliamentarian, he was locking up blokes for domestic violence. He has devoted his Parliamentary career to provide leadership for men, including those who have lost their way. Men are disproportionately represented in criminal statistics, preventable deaths and suicides. Over 90 per cent of industrial accidents involve men. Because many of these deaths occur early in life, men lose many more years of potential life relative to women. In 2023, the early deaths of men cost an expected 200,000 years of life more than women. Men have also suffered from recent economic changes, with manufacturing being sent offshore. Many men that worked these industries lost not only their livelihoods but their sense of purpose and mission. Our farmers are constantly under stress. While drought affects the entire household it is often men who feel guilty for crops failing or cattle not surviving, even when it was not their fault. But it is not all bad news. Many men and men’s groups have recognised that more action is needed in an organic fashion. The Men’s Sheds movement have created an amazing space for men to be productive and connect with others. A variety of groups are connecting boys to the bush. Indigenous communities are teaching young men how to ride and handle cattle. At a men, boys and Dads forum in Albury this week, I met a group who organise walks with men to provide companionship. The issues facing men will not be solved by government. But government can help these nascent movements thrive. If nothing else, we need leadership from the political class that reaffirms that men play a positive role in our society. To have a strong society, we need tough men. The traditional male traits of courage, fortitude and discipline are good things that any functioning community must nourish. It is not to say that women can not show these traits, but they are often cultivated by men and among groups of men and that is a good thing. Most of all to be a strong man, you must respect women. I want to ensure that I set the example for men, not just for my sons, but for the whole country through the Party I lead.