Katter’s Australian Party Deputy Leader to continue push for Minister for Men portfolio
Calls for a Minister for Men have intensified with the KAP MP Nick Dametto pleading with the Premier to look beyond his 100 day plan and address his serious concerns.
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Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has labelled the government’s response to his calls for a Minister for Men “disappointing”, saying he has “genuine concern” for boys and men in the North.
Mr Dametto has spearheaded the push for the new minister, saying there were “significant societal issues” including incarceration rates, suicide rates, substance abuse and homelessness that needed to be addressed.
In December, the Katter’s Australian Party MP penned a letter to Premier David Crisafulli, asking to continue the conversation about creating a Minister for Men.
However, the Premier said rather than creating a new portfolio, his government was focused on “tackling the youth crime crisis, the housing crisis, the health crisis and the cost of living crisis which have developed across the past decade”.
He said the LNP’s 100 day plan included commitments to Making Queensland Safer Laws and starting the rollout of the LNP’s Health Plan.
But in an open letter, Mr Dametto urged the Premier to think beyond the 100 day plan.
“It is disappointing that such an important question, posed on behalf of Queensland men, and the women, mothers, wives, sister and daughters who wish to see improved outcomes for men, are disregarded with an answer that did not address the very real problems faced by men in this state,” Mr Dametto said.
Holding concerns around the levels of male suicide and the prevenance of mental illness in rural and remote communities, Mr Dametto said his goal was to not to detract from the work of the Minister for Women role, but rather work in collaboration.
“To think that we don’t want to have any government intervention or government focus on trying to correct that sends a bleak message to males out there,” he said.
“It’s about making sure there is proper representation within cabinet to ensure that when policy is being developed, when policies are being put together and also when they are trying to put strategies together to improve the lives of those across Queensland, that men are represented.”
Mr Dametto said brushing off questions with the sentiment of ‘its not in our plan’ sends a bleak message to every man doing it tough.
He added that a dedicated ministerial representative would not come at the cost of the important work that has been done for Queensland women.
“There has been a large focus over the last 9 to 10 years on everything from economic through to health outcomes for females, which has been fantastic,” he said.
“Our core is not to detract or degrade from any good work that is happening in that space but we want to make sure that men are represented in these fields and that there is the right amount of focus and effort put into men’s health, men’s mental health and policy development across Queensland.”
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Originally published as Katter’s Australian Party Deputy Leader to continue push for Minister for Men portfolio
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