Healthy Men, Healthy Families, Healthy Nation
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 10:30AM 
With special guests:
- Jeff Kennett and
- National Men’s Health Press Conference, Canberra.
Men’s health is sadly neglected in Australia and men perform poorly on almost every health indicator, so this week we try to address some of the imbalance. The Labor Party went to the last election promising to develop a Men’s health policy to equal the long standing Women’s health policy and there has been considerable debate over its development.
First up we talk with former Jeff Kennett, Victorian Premier from 1992 to 1999, a man always admired for his outspoken directness. He began the National Depression Initiative Beyond Blue after the death of two of his daughter’s acquaintances. As Premier at that time he was shocked when it was revealed that both the deaths in question were actually as a result of suicidal intent. That started his investigation into what was being done and his involvement in the development of Beyond Blue.
As well we play the Canberra press conference for the inaugural Men and Fathers Health Summit at Parliament House convened by the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation. Over 30 delegates attended representing grass roots Men’s and father’s groups as well as leading healthcare professionals from all over Australia.
Kennett is an accomplished and powerful public speaker, although from his school reports no one would have guessed the success he would later make of his life - “Sometimes irritates. Sometimes works hard.”. After the experience of the death of his daughter’s friends he began making inquiries overseas and in Australia which led him to believe there was not a unified national approach to tackling depressive disorders. “That is not to say that good work was not being done but, rather, too few knew it was being undertaken,” he says. “There was no national recognition of that work, and it was not as co-ordinated as it could be.”
Beyond Blue’s mission is “to provide a national focus and community leadership to increase the capacity of the broader Australian community to prevent depression and respond effectively to it. The aim is to build a society that understands and responds to the personal and social impact of depression, works actively to prevent it and improves the quality of life for everyone affected by it. The steps they have taken are to raise awareness of the problem, to de-stigmatize depression and mental illness in general, to conduct research into the problems of depression and impacts on our society, and to advocate for better government and corporate policies to accommodate and support sufferers of mental illness.”
Next up we play the press conference from the Men and Fathers health Summit at Parliament House in Canberra organized by the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation.
Warwick Marsh, from Dads4Kids, said, “Men’s health needs urgent government and community action. It was the unanimous call of the summit that the Government set up an interdepartmental agency to fund and coordinate the soon to be announced Men’s Health Policy. The Summit called on the Government to introduce a positive Men’s Health Policy that recognizes the needs and unique contributions than men make to society. This same policy must address the social determinants of Men’s health and provide an action plan to address the many factors affecting men and father’s health.”
· Men die 5 years earlier than women.
· Indigenous men die 20 years earlier than non-indigenous men.
· Men commit suicide at 4 times the rate of women.
· Indigenous Men’s suicide rate is 70% higher than non-indigenous men.
· At almost every level of health statistics Men’s health is far worse than women’s.
· Indigenous men die from diabetes at 500% the rate of non-indigenous men.
· Indigenous men suffer the poorest health in Australia.
To celebrate Men’s Health Week, Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation released, ‘Healthy Men, Healthy Families, Healthy Nation’ which was the combined Men’s Health Policy proposals from all the different Summit delegates. Healthy Men, Healthy Families, Healthy Nation is an up-to-date synopsis on the state of Men’s health and the way forward for the Australian government and community.
Speakers at the Men and Fathers Health Summit and Media Conference included:
Dr Tim O’Neill GP: Medical practitioner and men’s health advocate from Canberra.
Dr Elizabeth Celi: Psychologist, health trainer, public speaker and author from Melbourne. Professor John Macdonald: University of Western Sydney, President Australian Men’s Health Forum and co-founder International Men’s Health Week, 15-21 June 2009.
The Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation would like to congratulate the Rudd Government on its imminent announcement of a National Men’s Health policy. It hoped that the policy proposals coming from the Men and Fathers Health Summit will be taken into account before the final formation of the Men’s Health Policy by Health Minister Nicola Roxon.