International Men’s Day enters the political mainstream
2025 was the year that International Men’s Day entered the political mainstream, with politicians across the political spectrum marking the day in significant numbers for the first time.
The launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Healthy Masculinities in Canberra was a great example of bipartisanship in action. Launched by Labor’s Dan Repacholi MP, Liberal MP Aaron Violi, and Independent Senator David Pocock, the group will focus on the mental health of boys and young men.
Mr Repacholi, Australia’s first Special Envoy for Men’s Health, gave his full support to IMD, saying: “Today is International Men’s Day and it’s a good chance to give a shout-out to the blokes and young fellas who keep our families, our workplaces and our communities going.”
He later added the day was about “blokes stepping up” and “setting the standard for how we treat each other. Showing up for our families, our mates, and ourselves and tackling the mental health challenges men are facing in every corner of the country”.
The Special Envoy featured in an ABC Radio National interview alongside Senator Pocock. Mr Pocock said that men need to be part of the conversation when it comes to violence against women, and that conversation should include “what it is to be a positive role model, what does healthy masculinity look like”, alongside addressing “the mental health issues that boys and young men are really struggling with across this country”.
Speaking about the launch of the friendship group, Aaron Violi MP said: "When we invest in positive masculinity, we don’t just uplift young men; we strengthen the fabric of Australian communities." When the individual is strong, the community is strong, and our nation can flourish.”
The Governor-General’s Backing: A Shift in Tone
The support of Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC was another clear indicator that IMD has become a day of national significance. Hosting The Man Cave at Government House, she spoke candidly about male vulnerability, suicidality, violence, homelessness and the emotional lives of young men. Her message was unmistakable: caring for men and boys is not a zero-sum game. “Men experience violence too… men feel vulnerability… but they are also caring, gentle, kind,” she said, emphasising the need for a more balanced national conversation.
South Australia: IMD Goes Parliamentary
In South Australia, the Legislative Council passed an IMD motion moved by Sarah Game MLC, leader of the Fair Go for All Australians Party. Game—whose IMD Adelaide dinner doubled in size this year—framed the event as evidence that old clichés were fading and that IMD now enjoyed genuine cross-party support.
Her motion was seconded across the aisle by Liberal MLC Michelle Lensink and Labor’s Ian Hunter MLC, each offering different but complementary standpoints. Lensink emphasised the parallels between IMD and International Women’s Day, saying both shine a light on overlooked health and wellbeing gaps. Hunter, meanwhile, celebrated IMD as a chance to honour men “in all their diversity”—including gay, bi, trans and queer men—and used his speech to champion gay male role models from Andrew Barr to Ian Thorpe, Michael Kirby and Uncle Jack Charles.
The presence of Premier Peter Malinauskas, Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia, and a lineup of Labor and Liberal ministers at Game’s IMD dinner illustrated just how mainstream the day has become.
State Parliaments Follow Suit: Victoria, WA and Tasmania
In Victoria, Labor MPs Tim Richardson and Paul Mercurio marked IMD with a heartfelt discussion on men’s mental health. Richardson—Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Behaviour Change—praised IMD as a chance to reflect on men’s contributions and vulnerabilities. Mercurio spoke movingly about losing his brother to suicide, using the day to urge men to “get out there and talk.”
In Western Australia, Maryka Groenewald MLC, leader of the Australian Christians, leaned into IMD’s focus on celebrating men and boys. She highlighted men’s contributions to society—from frontline workers to innovators—while calling for policies that support male well-being without diminishing women’s progress.
In Tasmania, Michael Gaffney MLC, a longstanding supporter of the day, used his IMD speech to spotlight the state’s underfunded men’s health sector and to push for government investment in male-friendly services. His call for policy reform added yet another dimension to the emerging national consensus.
A National Turning Point
Taken together, these statements, motions, speeches, and events revealed a new political landscape. For the first time, IMD wasn’t sidelined, mocked, or treated with suspicion. It was embraced—seriously, compassionately, pragmatically—by leaders across the spectrum.
Their messages differed in tone and emphasis:
- Dan Repacholi MP urged mateship, care, and mental health.
- Senator David Pocock stressed respect, safety, and the need for cultural change.
- Aaron Violi MP framed positive masculinity as community-building.
- The Governor General legitimised men’s issues as matters of national well-being.
- Sarah Game MLC championed role models, male-specific inequities, and cross-party unity.
- Michelle Lensink MLC emphasised balanced gender conversations.
- Ian Hunter MLC celebrated diverse masculinities.
- Tim Richardson MP and Paul Mercurio MP focused on vulnerability and connection.
- Maryka Groenewald MLC affirmed men’s contributions and called for cultural respect.
- Mike Gaffney MLC argued for structural reform in men’s health.
In 2015, one MP tabled a motion in the New South Wales parliament questioning “the utility of International Men’s Day”. In 2025, politicians from left to right were united in their view that “Supporting Men and Boys” - our theme for International Men’s Day 2025 - is good for families, good for communities, and good for Australia.