David Maywald

There have been at least two dozen positive developments for men and boys in Australia, during the last six months. These include several important appointments at state and federal level, the world-first Minister for Men and Boys in Victoria, a national inquiry into education for boys and young men (for the first time in 24 years), and the establishment of completely new forums/groups that focus on male wellbeing at both state and federal level. Importantly, these span every state, territory, and the federal level. And these two dozen advances also span every political party (except the Greens) from Labor, Liberal, Nationals, One Nation, small parties and independents... I was heartened to see the ACT Greens emphasise the experiences of male victims, last week in CityNews coverage of Mark Parton's support for men's health and wellbeing. I accept that you could point to one or two of these developments with scepticism, or even cynicism. But that negativity completely fades away when looking at these two dozen important steps forward in totality... Ordinary people have been speaking up for a couple of years, we want fairness and opportunity to be spread across society, we're tired of elites sending money and attention to their pet causes. Genuine gender equality is about a lot more than shaping education systems for girls, delivering unearned economic empowerment for some women, and beating innocent men around the head with a big bat called "violence against women"... Females face disparities, males face disparities. People are seeing through the old tired narratives, and they have lived experience of the issues faced by boys and men. It's time to capitalise on the remarkable advances for men and boys during the last six months, by taking practical concrete actions that solidify this progress... Get on board.

I have huge respect and admiration for Warren Farrell, and absolutely love his 2001 book Father and Child Reunion. This book was genuinely groundbreaking. Long before shared parenting and father involvement became mainstream public discussions, Farrell was courageously documenting the enormous importance of fathers in the lives of children: not only for boys, but for girls, mothers, and the wellbeing of families as a whole... What makes this book so powerful is that it combines deep compassion with serious research. Farrell refuses to treat fathers as disposable or secondary parents. Instead, he presents a compelling case that children thrive when loving fathers remain meaningfully involved in their lives after separation and divorce... Importantly, this isn't a book against women or mothers. It is profoundly pro-family. Farrell advocates for cooperation, fairness, emotional healing, and arrangements that place children’s long-term wellbeing first. Decades later, many of the issues raised in this book remain highly relevant. Father and Child Reunion helped lay the intellectual and moral groundwork for modern shared parenting advocacy, fatherhood movements, and a broader recognition that men’s wellbeing matters too. Father and Child Reunion is one of the most important and influential books ever written on fathers, families, and children.