Tyron Whitten (WA, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to wish a happy Easter to all Australians. This holiday is a time for family and friends to gather and reflect on their faith. In particular, I want to shine a light on the good men in Australia who are away from their families this Easter. Here in parliament we will take a break for Easter. We get to go home and spend time with our loved ones. But in my home state of Western Australia, where 80 per cent of our 60,000 FIFO workers are men, many will not have the chance to see their families. They're keeping the lights on for the rest of us, keeping the Australian economy strong and sacrificing their time for their family's sake. I want to say thank you to all you and to all hardworking Aussies, our frontline workers and people in uniform.

I also want to speak to those good men that have been separated from their children and families at this time. There are many men, good men, that have been treated unfairly by the family law system in Australia. I receive countless messages from men that are desperate after being separated from their family, their children and their support networks by family courts. We have a crisis in this country. We lose too many boys and men—one every three hours—who have become hopeless and who can't see another way out. As a country we have forgotten how to encourage and support our men. We want men that are brave and bold, men who are willing to step up and help those that need protection. We need to fix our courts to make sure that good fathers have the same rights as mothers.

My message to all good men out there that are missing out this Easter is: hang in there. I will continue to fight for you. If you know someone in this situation, reach out to them. Help me support good men.