SA Parliament passes International Men’s Day motion
The Legislative Council of the South Australian Parliament passed a motion in support of International Men’s Day (IMD) 2025.
The Hon Sarah Game of the Fair Go for All Australians Party, moved the motion that this council:
- Acknowledges that 19 November 2025 is International Men's Day, focusing on men's health, championing male role models, and recognising the positive values men bring to the world, their families and their communities;
- Accepts that men face a series of health challenges that need to be acknowledged and addressed to help our communities function to their fullest potential;
- Identifies that these challenges include but are not limited to the fact that in Australia three out of four suicides are men, two out of three violent deaths are men, and that men die years younger than women on average;
- Recognises that men deserve to be celebrated on International Men's Day in the same vein as we celebrate and champion women on International Women's Day; and
- Acknowledges that all members of Parliament need to do their best to start changing the negative narrative around men in society.
The motion was supported by the Hon. Michelle Lensink (Liberal Party) and the The Hon. Ian Hunter MLC Hunter (Labor Party).
Ms Game has been a strong advocate of IMD and hosted her third IMD fundraising dinner and networking event in 2025, an initiative she says doubled in size this year.
The former One Nation politician, who became an Independent in May this year before launching her new political party in August, said that “bringing International Men's Day to prominence in South Australia in recent years has been a pleasure and a responsibility [she has] taken incredibly seriously”.
Game said that International Men’s Day in Australia now had cross-party support and this was a sign that the points raised in her motion “are resonating more strongly than ever and more broadly”.
“They also prove that support for the motion's aspirations is gradually becoming apolitical, as it should. Clearly, the need to focus on the unique challenges faced by men—in particular, their health—is hitting home. The need to champion male role models, rather than unfairly taint all men for the actions of a tiny minority, is being recognised. Our understanding that by taking these steps we will live in a more cohesive, fair and ultimately safer community is growing.”
Ms Game added: “The tired and erroneous cliche 'every day is International Men's Day' is disappearing from our consciousness permanently and being replaced with recognition that an ongoing discussion around the needs of men and boys, including helping them when and where appropriate, is a completely valid and critically important concept and, indeed, a responsibility.
“In addition to those sobering statistics about suicides, violent deaths and the shorter life expectancy of Australian men, it is worth noting that boys continue to underperform against girls at every stage of education and that fathers in split families face more substantial barriers to being involved in their children's lives. Double standards must cease, to be replaced by robust and honest conversations.”
FURTHER READING
Motion to Support International Men's Day
International Men's Day Gains Broader Recognition
MP celebrates gay male role models