Men Do Talk
Are We Listening?
2025 Report
We already knew it, now we’ve got the data to back it
We men aren’t silent.
And we’re not broken.
We just need to know where to find the right kind of support.
This isn’t about fixing men. It’s about finally listening to them and backing them with what works. Because when men feel seen and supported, they show up better for their mates, their families, and themselves.
Proven Impact and the Need for National Support
Australia faces a men’s mental health crisis marked by high suicide rates, loneliness, stigma, and lack of early intervention pathways.
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The gap
Existing clinical and crisis services are vital but miss men until breaking point. Government inquiries (NSW Loneliness Inquiry, National Men’s Health Strategy, National Suicide Prevention Strategy) have all identified the need for peer-based, community-led early interventions.
The solution
Mentoring Men delivers free, one-to-one, volunteer-led life mentoring. The program is accredited, proven to reduce stigma, increase help-seeking, build resilience, and prevent crises before escalation.
The ask
$3 million per year for three years (ARR) to scale nationally, expand the volunteer workforce, achieve accreditation under the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards, and strengthen impact measurement.
In short, this document makes the case for Mentoring Men as a proven, scalable wellbeing and mental health intervention that fills a critical prevention gap.
Engaging Men in Domestic and Family Violence Prevention
DFV remains a national epidemic, with the National Plan to End
Violence Against Women and Children (2022–2032) calling for bold
prevention and early intervention efforts.
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Extension of the model
The same upstream, peer-mentoring approach that prevents suicide and reduces isolation can also prevent DFV by:
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Challenging harmful gender norms and fostering healthy masculinities.
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Training men as proactive bystanders equipped to intervene safely.
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Reducing risk factors such as isolation, stress, and poor emotional regulation.
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Providing stigma-free support for men at risk of perpetrating or experiencing violence.
The ask
Identical to the first paper – $3 million per year for three years. No additional cost is requested; instead, DFV prevention is presented as an added dimension of the same national scale-up.
This document positions Mentoring Men as a complementary partner in DFV prevention, working upstream alongside specialist crisis services.