This report examines how Australia can strengthen and better coordinate work with men and boys to prevent gender-based violence. It reports on a national consultation held in Melbourne on 21 May 2024, involving 50 stakeholders from violence prevention, early intervention, response, recovery, and men’s health and wellbeing sectors. The consultation focused on two aspects of prevention infrastructure: coordination, collaboration and quality assurance; and workforce and sector development.
The report identifies substantial differences in the development of this work across Australia. Victoria has a comparatively well-developed and resourced primary prevention sector, whereas other jurisdictions generally have less established infrastructure, smaller workforces and fewer opportunities for collaboration. Across the country, insecure and inadequate funding, workforce instability, limited evaluation capacity and fragmented practice constrain progress.
Several challenges require attention. These include the absence of a shared understanding of what working with men and boys and addressing masculinities entails; differing views about the goals of this work, including the meaning of positive or healthier masculinities; and insufficient translation of research and frameworks into practical guidance. The report also highlights gaps in evidence and evaluation, limited collaboration between prevention and other service sectors, and inadequate recognition of community-based knowledge and expertise.
Intersectionality is a central concern. The report calls for greater attention to how masculinities intersect with racism, colonialism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of inequality, and for prevention approaches to be accountable to women and LGBTIQA+ communities.
The report recommends sustained funding, workforce development, national coordination mechanisms, shared practice principles, stronger evidence and evaluation, and improved access to resources such as Change the story and Men in focus. Its overall aim is to establish a better-resourced, more connected and evidence-informed national prevention effort, while enabling approaches to be adapted to different communities and contexts.
Download the report here.