Premier Peter Malinauskas questions Andrew Tate influence in wake of misogynistic Pembroke school scandal

The premier is alarmed at the influence of toxic celebrities like Andrew Tate on young boys as a top Adelaide school grapples with the fallout from a misogynistic system of fines.

• 6 signs your son is influenced by Tate

Revelations students at an elite Adelaide school created a misogynistic internal fine system that has drawn a reaction from the state’s Premier, who labelled the behaviour “alarming”.

On Tuesday, The Advertiser revealed footballers at Pembroke School created a spreadsheet of fineable “offences” that included “kissing a whale”, “you’re having sloppy seconds” and “your girlfriend’s crazy”.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said he was worried that young boys were picking up disrespectful and harmful attitudes toward women through social media.

“Misogyny has absolutely no place in the 21st-century,” he said.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said he believed the behaviour was not reflective of society at large. Picture: RoyV Photography

“You can’t help but wonder to what extent the Andrew Tates of the world on a social media platform are driving these behaviours, because I don’t suspect it’s coming from parents.

“I do think that young kids are made vulnerable to the extremes that are made readily available to them through social media and we see the consequences of that playing out in real time.”

Andrew Tate is a professional kickboxer turned influencer and life coach who has built a brand on sharing shock-tactic messaging, much of which is derogatory to women.

Tate is the founder of The Real World, an exclusive online self-help community that’s garnered 250,000 members from across the globe since it launched in 2022.

Pembroke has not revealed any disciplinary action, however Mr Malinauskas said he trusted the school at the centre of the scandal would handle the issue appropriately.

“It doesn’t matter which school you go to, whether it’s the most expensive private school in the state or a public school, we see things go wrong in a school environment,” he said.

But the Premier also questioned the influence of social media personalities such as Andrew Tate on young minds. Picture: File

“Kids make mistakes, kids do things that are stupid, and when that happens, it’s about how you respond.

“That means the school is sending a clear message about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour and provide support to make sure those kids don’t repeat those mistakes into the future.

“You have to put into place expectations and remember that kids do stupid things, and make sure they learn from them and don’t do it again.”