Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Across Australia, statistics tell a confronting story. Three out of every four suicides are men, with around 2½ thousand lives lost every year. Men die five years earlier in cities and, startlingly, 13 years earlier in our regions. Often the majority of these blokes have not seen a GP for more than a year. We also see that the rate of prostate cancer is higher than what it should be because men aren't going to see the GP to get a blood test. This cancer is one of the most preventable cancers for men.

These statistics and trends are the reason I held a really fantastic event in Belmont with the member for Hunter, the Special Envoy for Men's Health, and we had an opportunity to sit down with local dads and listen. This wasn't a formal announcement or a policy briefing. It was an opportunity to exchange ideas and share stories about real lives and real pressures, and about what helps men show up for their families and their friends.

It was fabulous to have the opportunity to showcase some of the amazing social infrastructure that's happening within the heart of Swan. We were joined by Belmont Dads Group and by Dads United for the Children of Kensington, also known as DUCKs. We had local legends Shaun Chandran and Ben Dunlop and the fabulous Conrad Slee. So many dads joined us—Anthony, Jeff, Glen, Lloyd, Rosario, Kasem, Sam, Francis, Simon, Shane, Roger, Anthony and Andrea. We also had the Fathering Project join us—Paul, Wayne and Adrian. It was such a great opportunity to take a step back and think about what's important. What's really interesting about the Belmont Dads Group is that Shaun, who's a local legend, stood back and saw that there was a need for men and dads to come together, to carve time for each other and to spend quality time with their kids. Because of this amazing initiative, Shaun became father of the year in 2024, which was amazing. We've also seen that this has inspired others in the community to say, 'Hey, I want a dads group too.' We see this as an opportunity for spaces for men to form lifelong friendships and also look after themselves. We also had the opportunity to have a look at mental health providers in the electorate, which was very exciting.

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