CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms LANDRY (Capricornia—Chief Nationals Whip) (16:29): I rise today to speak about an important community forum held in Rockhampton on Monday 3 August: the Men, Boys and Dads Forum. I was pleased to host this forum in Capricornia alongside the Leader of the Nationals, Senator Matt Canavan, and the shadow special envoy for men and boys, Member for Wide Bay Llew O'Brien.
It was a chance for local men, fathers, families, and community leaders to come together and speak frankly about the challenges facing men and boys in regional Australia. Too often, these issues are overlooked or treated as though they are somehow in competition with the struggles faced by others. But supporting one group should never mean ignoring another.
We can support women and girls while also recognising that men and boys are facing real and serious challenges in health, education, family life and employment. At the forum we heard about the pressure many men are under, particularly in regional communities where distance, financial stress and limited access to services can make it harder to ask for help. We spoke about family law, mental health, educational outcomes, workforce participation and the importance of strong role models for young men.
The member for Wide Bay brings deep understanding to this role. Before entering this parliament, he served as a police officer and has seen firsthand what can happen when men are isolated, unsupported or left behind. His work as the shadow special envoy for men and boys is about listening, learning and developing ideas that can make a real difference in communities like mine, with the information gathered through forums like this helping to shape policy in the lead-up to the next election so the voices of men, boys and dads in regional Australia are heard.
Australia has done strong work in advocating for women's issues and that must continue. But we can also have an honest conversation about male disadvantage, including suicide, chronic disease, life expectancy and boys falling behind at school. One of the most confronting facts is that male suicide rates in Australia remain far too high.
Of the 3,307 Australians who died by suicide in 2024, 2,529 were males—more than three-quarters of the total. Last year, the number of men and boys who took their own lives was almost double the national road toll. Behind every statistic is a son, a father, a husband, a brother, a workmate or a friend.
Across Capricornia, people know the value of mateship, but too many men still suffer in silence. That is why forums like this matter. They give people permission to speak openly.
They help connect local organisations, services and families, but most importantly they remind men and boys that their lives, their worries and their futures matter. I want to thank everyone who attended the Rockhampton forum and shared their experiences, and I'd like to thank the member for Wide Bay and Senator Matt Canavan for taking this conversation seriously and bringing it to regional communities.
If we want strong families and strong communities, we need strong support for men, boys and dads.