Prawn of the Patriarchy

South Australian Royal Commission 2025 into Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence

On the 19th August 2025 the South Australian Government released a report on domestic, family and sexual violence. Details regarding the work of the Commission are provided in a copy of the media release provided below.

“The Government today releases the report of South Australia’s historic Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and sets out a framework for responding to the report’s recommendations

Royal Commissioner Natasha Stott Despoja AO has published the 700-page document With Courage: South Australia’s vision beyond violence and the accompanying Voices report.

The reports are the culmination of a 12-month Royal Commission, including extensive engagement with South Australians impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.

The main report includes 136 recommendations reflecting the Commission’s comprehensive public consultation, listening sessions, public hearings and submissions.

The 112-page Voices report includes direct quotes from hundreds of people with lived and living experiences, as well as family members and other supporters. To ensure generational reform for South Australia, the report has been structured around key themes including:

Structural reform focused on creating a cohesive and effective system;
Increasing the awareness and visibility of domestic, family and sexual violence by investing in workforce, education and the justice system, as well as increasing community awareness;
Supporting safe help-seeking and access to crisis response;
Strengthening focus on people who use violence through programs and legislative reform;
Building holistic supports for survivors that focus on longer-term recovery and healing; and
Establishing a strong foundation for prevention.

The Royal Commission benefited from the experience of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, cautioning against reactive implementation in favour of a considered and resourced implementation plan.

To ensure the broad suite of recommendations can be properly considered and addressed, the State Government has immediately accepted the following recommendations to be pursued within recommended timeframes:

1: The establishment of a standalone ministerial portfolio for domestic, family and sexual violence;

2: The establishment of a Government Steward;

4: The Senior Leadership Committee (of South Australian Government Chief Executives) develop an implementation plan for consideration by Cabinet;

5: Requiring performance agreements for Chief Executives to include achievement of the actions and impact identified in the Implementation Plan;

6: Develop a five year statewide domestic, family and sexual violence strategy;

7 & 8: Establish separate Lived Experience Advisory Networks for adults and children, with a smaller group providing advice and expertise to the Minister.

The South Australia Government established the Royal Commission after the horrific murder of four women in South Australia in one week in November 2023.

The Royal Commission adds to the considerable suite of reforms already in train by the Government, including legislating to criminalise coercive control, establishing two new domestic violence prevention and recovery hubs, ringfencing a proportion of public housing for women escaping violence, and legislating to require high-risk domestic violence defendants to be electronically monitored on home detention bail.”

No mention of the murders or abuse of men … colour me surprised.

Here is a link to the final report, including submissions, an Issues Paper, and here is a link to the Commission’s 136 recommendations.

As noted earlier, the Royal Commission was headed up by former politician and outspoken feminist Natasha Stott Despoja. Some relevant background regarding Natasha previous work in the field of domestic violence can be found in the sources listed below:

‘Our Watch’: Just how heartless (or deeply in denial) can people be?

A 2013 letter from Greg Canning to Natasha Stott Despoja, and which to my knowledge was never answered.

The egalitarian lobby group known as the One in Three Campaign made the following observations regarding the work of the Commission. But first, he is a copy of their original submission to the Royal Commission (dated 27 August 2024).

1.“There is a single recommendation (out of 136) that may assist male victims of family violence. Recommendation 59 asks that, “The South Australian government provide an increase in ongoing funding to the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, with a view to further enhancing the scheme’s statewide accessibility and reach through the introduction of additional service delivery partners, aimed at improving accessibility and inclusivity for all applicants, including male victim-survivors.”

2. “Great to see this in today’s Advertiser! Not only were 1IN3 not asked to appear at the RC, our submission wasn’t even read. No other male organisations were asked to appear or consulted with. It’s unlikely anything will change with the dismal service provision for male victims.”

More to come after I have found the time to review the report in more detail.

The election of Donald Trump and associated claims of sexism (2024)

The re-election of Donald Trump as the U.S President has certainly re-invigorated the gender debate in the MSM … (and this post remains in development)

Michelle Obama’s String of Falsehoods Reveals Why Dems Lost the Male Vote (4 June 2025)

Winning against the feminist machine, by Bettina Arndt (7 November 2024)

Boosting men doesn’t come at women’s expense (13 November 2024)

Warren Farrell Op-Ed — Trump won because Democrats keep telling young men they’re dangerous and don’t matter (13 November 2024) Recommended reading

The ‘Lost Boys’ of Gen Z: how Trump won the hearts of alienated young men (12 November 2024) We’re told that young men today are “failing to mature and find purpose in today’s rapidly changing social and economic landscape”. LOL, try telling young women that and see how they react. But that’s different, right?

Vindictive Feminists Plot Revenge Following Kamala Harris Defeat (11 November 2024)

‘A fatal miscalculation’: masculinity researcher Richard Reeves on why Democrats lost young men (9 November 2024) USA

Did sexism propel Donald Trump to power? (9 November 2024) USA

Kamala’s Anti-Male Sexism Drove Men from the Democratic Fold (7 November 2024) USA

The sad truth is that anti-feminist backlash helped propel Trump to victory (6 November 2024) and another related item ‘No sex, no babies: 4B Movement goes viral after Donald Trump US election win‘ (8 November 2024)

The Best Way to Find Out If Someone Is a Trump Voter? Ask Them What They Think About Manhood (14 July 2023) Written by Katelyn Fossett

I remember when universities encouraged informed debate

Another sizeable #FacePalm moment today.

Several Australian universities have an active voice with regards to the issue of domestic violence and associated topics. Monash and La Trobe are two that spring to mind. They are seemingly/usually in lockstep with the prevailing feminist position on the matter. To which I’m occasionally drawn to respond.

Today La Trobe University issued a tweet stating: “There are actions we take to stem the tide of domestic violence, say researchers Jess Hill & Michael Salter — starting with the industries that help to fuel a spark before it is lit.” I gather that this statement was somewhat of a follow-on from an online forum they convened the previous evening, as described here.

Anyway I responded to that tweet, but within an hour or two my post was “hidden“.

That’s right, I wasn’t communicating with some zany little feminist NGO, but a well-recognised university. And as you can see, I wasn’t being threatening or profane. Just expressing a point of view that was <shudder> not shared by the feminist lobby.

Should the university staff ever choose to explain their actions, which is unlikely, then I’ll post it here.

Oh, this last statement (below) is rich. Somebody had better warn the feminist lobby that it’s apparently difficult to profit from family and domestic violence.

The anti-feminist psychiatrist, by Bettina Arndt (23 June 2025) Monash Uni is mentioned within this Bettina Arndt paper

Twitter accuses me of hateful conduct – You be the judge

I asked Twitter to reconsider their initial judgement, but they came back and confirmed their decision. I haven’t had an issue with them before, but I can’t see even a hint of hate here. Well, not unless the reader was a male feminist or something nasty like that. What do you think? I’m all ears

Here’s a link to the blog post mentioned in the screen-save provided above.

Postscript 4 August 2024: I’ve received a further notification from Twitter, regarding what is, I suspect, an un-related mystery infringement (?):

“We’ve added a temporary label to your account which may impact its reach”.

I’ve read the explanatory material but still have no idea what, if anything, I’ve allegedly done wrong or how this will affect my use of Twitter.

Australian conference regarding false allegations and law reform (31 August 2024)

The justice system and legal reform are pivotal factors to be addressed in moving towards true gender equality, and I mention this in a number of my blog posts, including:

On false accusations by women/girls against men/boys

Gender inequality within the criminal justice system

Which leads me to the focus of my post today … have you heard about the ‘Restoring the Presumption of Innocence Conference‘ that was held at Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, Australia on 31 August 2024?

What has happened to the presumption of innocence in Australia?

How can accused men receive justice in a system where police and prosecutors refer to complainants as “victims” or “survivors”?
Over the last six months, five NSW District Court judges have spoken out about insufficient evidence supporting cases of men accused of sexual assault.
Now the NSW public prosecutors are conducting an audit of all current sexual assault cases.
Legal rights of men accused of domestic violence are under siege after activists falsely claimed an epidemic of domestic homicide – despite the Australian Institute of Criminology just announcing a 30-year decline in domestic homicide rates.

Care to learn the true facts – from legal experts, law professors, statisticians, whistleblowers, victims of injustice, media analysts – exposing how ideology has captured our justice system and tossed aside the basic principle of equality before the law?

“The time is right. Equality before the law no longer exists in Australia. The presumption of innocence has been tossed aside – totally discarded by our biased media and undermined by legislative tampering with basic principles of justice.

For decades our justice system has been tilted to favour “victims”, with the result that men and women are treated very differently – by police, the Family Court, judges and juries in the criminal law system.

But gradually the rot in the system is being exposed. Right now, 400 current sexual assault cases are being audited by NSW public prosecutors to determine whether, as six judges have claimed, such cases are being pushed through to trial with insufficient evidence.

We are seizing the moment, and bringing together real experts to expose what is going on here. And to talk about what’s needed to achieve a fair system.

Our conference supports all victims of violence and sexual assault and that requires telling the truth about these complex issues. All victims, whether male or female, deserve policies based on up-to-date accurate data and truthful analysis. Flawed analysis can only lead to flawed policy which contributes to the ongoing crisis in our justice system and the current misleading public narrative on these issues.

Most importantly, the current high rates of false allegations are making it difficult for genuine victims to be heard. These victims deserve a better system.”

Further details at www.presumptionofinnocence.au and with a livestream available here

The conference was hosted by Australians for Science and Freedom, an organisation promoting better institutions that embed respect for freedom and scientific approaches for society’s problems. To find out more about Australians for Science and Freedom, click here.

The event was sponsored by Mothers of Sons, an organisation of mothers fighting to expose the injustices their sons have faced in our biased criminal and family law systems. To find out more about Mothers of Sons, click here.

Further reading/viewing:

The Justices Unpick a Stitch-Up, by Bettina Arndt (18 July 2025)

Former Family Court Judge spills the beans (1 April 2025)

Failed family court reform, by Bettina Arndt (12 March 2025)

Momentous conference, by Bettina Arndt (6 September 2024)

The truth about domestic violence in Australia, by Avi Yemini (29 August 2024) Video

Zali’s back for Lehrmann’s hat (26 July 2024)

Women are great at coercive control, by Bettina Arndt (10 July 2024)

Drunk sex and consent, by Bettina Arndt (14 June 2024)

Banning our conference, by Bettina Arndt (12 April 2024)

Another Australian domestic violence inquiry (2024)

I just read an ABC article entitled ‘Expert panel to tell government how to prevent violence against women and children‘ (28 May 2024).

The article begins by informing us that:

“A panel that includes strong critics of current government strategies to prevent violence against women and children will meet for the first time today” (28 May 2024). The panel will hand down its findings between July and September 2024.

Apparently “the federal government has faced significant criticism from the violence response sector following the federal budget” which promised, amongst other things, a rapid review of what’s currently being undertaken to combat DV.

“The rapid review will cost $1.3 million over two years and will be led by Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner Micaela Cronin, director of the Commonwealth Office for Women Padma Raman, and secretary of the Department of Social Services Ray Griggs.”

“And also making it not a women’s issue but an issue where we focus on the perpetrators of that violence.” Because all perpetrators are male, right?

“The group will consult with the states and territories, the national violence prevention organisation Our Watch, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and the National Women’s Safety Alliance.”

Two of these groups have blocked me from accessing their social media accounts – that’s a positive sign, right? (#sarcasm). So the group will be consulting widely – just not with any men’s or father’s groups, for example. Oh, but of course they’ll have a couple of token male feminists on board to present that winning sparkle of #inclusion and #diversity.

Nothing in the ABC article provides even a coy hint about the existence of ‘elephant in the room’ things like female perpetrators, male victims and/or bi-directional violence.

Nothing in the ABC article demonstrates that things have been learnt as a result of the umpteen earlier domestic violence enquiries? (Click here then scroll down to public inquiries)

Nothing in the ABC article suggests that the new approach will involve anything other than throwing more money at feminist NGO’s, who will – as sure as God made little green apples – come back the following year to demand that the government “gets serious” and “provides real funding support”? Nothing

#Sigh #FacePalm

Update: “On 23 August 2024, the Australian Government received the final report from the expert panel appointed to undertake a rapid review of evidence-based approaches to prevent gender-based violence. The report provides specific and practical advice to strengthen prevention approaches, and builds on considerable work currently underway in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The report makes 21 recommendations across 6 key areas for action by federal, state and territory governments. The recommendations will be taken forward as a priority for discussion by National Cabinet.” (Source)

An extract from the final report, re: the “manosphere”:

“Further, the Review has been deeply cognisant of the rising threat of online misogyny and powerful algorithms that threaten to mobilise men against gender equality, including in the so-called ‘manosphere’. This has also been recognised as contributing to a rise in broader radicalisation. Online content remains increasingly unchecked and unmoderated, with young men becoming more isolated the longer that they spend time in these environments. Health experts are therefore advocating for the attitudes held up by the ‘manosphere’ to be considered criminogenic in nature, given that misogynistic beliefs are a significant predictor of most forms of violent extremism and violence against women.”

In contrast, no mention was made of the surfeit of misandric material available to women/girls online. And not surprisingly, word-searches on ‘female perpetrator’, ‘male victim’ and ‘bi-directional violence’ came up empty.

See also the following related blog posts:

Partners in alms: A primer on the ‘Domestic Violence Industry’

Was there a surge in domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Public events & domestic violence myth

Australian taxpayer funded organisations that do little/nothing for men (other than demonising them)

The ‘Safe and Equal’ organisation

“Safe and Equal is the peak body for specialist family violence services that provide support to victim survivors in Victoria. We are an independent, non-government organisation that leads, organises, advocates for, and acts on behalf of our members – with a focus across the continuum from primary prevention through to response and recovery.” (Source)

Safe and Equal Inc was formerly known as the ‘Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria Inc’ – see their organisational history here.

Safe and Equal Inc. appears to have a pronounced feminist outlook. This means for e.g. that men are viewed (only) as perpetrators of domestic violence and women as their victims. This page in their website lists various submissions and policy papers prepared by them.

Safe and Equal notes that “A newly established partnership with ‘The Men’s Project’ was a positive step in focusing on an emerging need to assess the role of men, boys and masculinities in prevention–developing work that will remain a priority for capability building across the workforce over the next year” (Annual Report, Page 34). The Men’s Project is run by Jesuit Social Services. The Jesuits are known to be generally most supportive of the feminist movement. (See also)

The four priorities of Safe & Equal are listed on page 6 of the latest Annual Report. ‘Building a strong peak organisation‘, is one of these nominated priorities. Reducing the incidence of domestic violence, on the other hand, is not.

Their entry in the charity register is located here.

Their Twitter account is at @safe_and_equal

There are nine directors (none of whom are male), and whilst the organisation has more than 90 staff, they do not appear to employ any male staff (Annual Report, page 38).

Both their Annual Report and their Financial Statement, for the year ending 30 June 2023 are available here. The Financial Statement shows annual receipt of government grants totaling $7,135,582 and ‘total revenue and other income’ of $8,152,510 (page 15). The corresponding figures for the preceding financial year are $3,592,114 and $7,091,095.

The ‘Remuneration paid to key management personnel’ is listed to be $1,053,072 in the last financial year (Financial Statement, page 18). The matter of either who, or how many staff, fill such roles is not stipulated. Indeed several items normally addressed in an Annual Report do not seem to be present here. Examples include the number, seniority and remuneration of staff, contractors and consultants, and the nature of expenditure generally.

Footnote: I’ll expand this post after I’ve had time to digest some/all of the policy papers in their website.

Gamma Bias on steroids: A submission concerning the development of an International Gender Equality Strategy

Here is my submission concerning the development of an International Gender Equality Strategy. Oh, and DFAT = the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This version was completed on 13 September 2023.

Dear Sir/Madam

DFAT advises that it has invited public submissions in order to hear from people and organisations, and to inform the priorities for the proposed Gender Equality Strategy. Thank you for providing this opportunity for me to do just that.

DFAT suggests that four main questions to be considered when preparing a submission are:

What are international gender equality priorities?
What are the most effective approaches for achieving gender equality globally?
How can Australia best support efforts to achieve gender equality internationally?
What should the government/ DFAT consider when developing the new international gender equality strategy?

I think I’ll focus on point 4. I note too your assertion that the Government is committed to being a global leader on gender equality, and that the new International Strategy is intended to recognise gender equality as being central to Australia’s foreign policy, international development, humanitarian action, trade and security efforts.

To support this commitment, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) advises that it intends to develop a new International Gender Equality Strategy, in order to:

guide Australia’s actions to protect and promote the human rights of all women and girls*.
align with the commitments to gender equality made in the region by the Pacific Islands Forum, ASEAN and APEC. It will reflect global commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, for example, on gender equality, climate change and human rights.
identify the opportunities for Australia, our region and our world for stability, security, prosperity and safety in achieving gender equality and the full and equal participation of all in our societies.

And as for the human rights of ‘all men and boys’*? Are they not human or simply not important? This seems rather reminiscent of another federal agency I wrote to recently. Now who were they? (Reference: https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/inquiry-into-australias-human-rights-framework-2023/)

“The new International Strategy will reflect the Government’s commitment to achieve gender equality in Australia’s forthcoming first National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality, the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children* 2022-2032, and Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2021-31” … “DFAT will also draw on the views and priorities shared in public submissions provided to inform Australia’s International Development Policy and Southeast Asia Economic Strategy.”

(Source: https://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/themes/gender-equality/new-international-gender-equality-strategy)

And as for a national plan to end violence against men and boys*? Sound of crickets (Reference: https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/on-the-recent-increase-in-violent-crime-carried-out-by-women-and-girls/)

Just by way of background, the latest DFAT annual report that is available online is 2021-22. This shows that the percentage of ongoing staff in that department who are female is approx. 60%, which is consistent with the Australian federal public service overall. And no need to stress, some agencies have been further out of balance. Take WGEA for example (Reference: https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/weve-set-a-target-of-having-10-of-our-senior-management-team-female-by-2017/)

I shall begin by considering a central facet of this exercise, this being the notion of ‘gender equality’.

“Gender equality is when people of all genders have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Everyone is affected by gender inequality – women, men, trans and gender diverse people, children and families. It impacts people of all ages and backgrounds.” (Source: https://www.vic.gov.au/gender-equality-what-it-and-why-do-we-need-it)

This definition of the term, as with most others, implies that an equivalent amount of attention might be expected to be given to, for example, men and boys in the community. And yet one thing that quickly strikes a reader of related reports and media releases is the almost complete lack of attention given to men and boys and the issues faced by them. DFAT’s reports are no exception.

To consider an example of this, let’s look at one particular item within the DFAT website. It’s entitled ‘Australia’s international support for gender equality’. The term ‘man’ features once in this report, and ‘boy’ not at all. In stark contrast ‘woman’ features 121 times and ‘girl’ 19 times. Thus men and boys, and their myriad issues and perspectives appear to be ‘missing in action’.

(Source: https://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/themes/gender-equality/Australias-international-support-for-gender-equality)

It is consequently quite farcical to suggest that this, or the plethora of documents like it, demonstrate genuine commitment to gender equality. What it does do, is to reflect a prevailing reality of a marked gender preference towards women. This preference is actively sought after by followers and devotees of feminist ideology. And they do not tolerate alternative views.

Some source material regarding feminism and its propensity to stifle debate regarding alternative perspectives on gender now follows:

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/some-indicators-that-feminism-is-no-longer-worthy-of-trust-or-support/

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/beware-the-ire-of-an-angry-feminist/

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/on-blocking-out-non-feminist-perspectives-and-opinions/

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/a-feminist-laments-why-do-so-few-men-turn-up-to-hear-women-speak/

Unfortunately this marked gender imbalance in favour of women/girls is also reflected in the amount of funding support provided for gender-related issues and initiatives in both the Australian domestic and international arenas. This issue is discussed in the following items compiled by me:

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/australian-taxpayer-funded-organisations-that-do-littlenothing-for-men/

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/re-instatement-of-the-womens-budget-statement-in-australia-bring-it-on-but-consider-men-too/

#GenderEqualityWhenItSuits: A submission to the Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012

Is the pronounced influence of feminist doctrine appropriate in Australia’s dealings with other countries?

I would suggest that ‘no’, it is certainly not. Regardless of how one feels about the validity and usefulness of feminist beliefs in Australia, foreign countries are different places. Feminism has never been raised as an issue within the Australian political system – and subsequently adopted as a matter of policy. It is merely something that a small minority of Australians believe to have merit, and who push strongly for greater and greater female privilege to occur.

Other countries have different histories and different cultures and deserve respect, and to be allowed to make their own choices with regard to gender issues in the absence of carrots or sticks applied by the Australian government acting on behalf of the feminist lobby.

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/i-thought-women-were-meant-to-be-more-empathetic/

Feminists aiming to strengthen their foothold in Thailand

‘Feminists and Yellow Fever’ by Willard Losinger https://sexualobjectification.blogspot.com/2014/09/feminists-versus-yellow-fever.html

And on a closing note:

https://www.fighting4fair.com/uncategorized/discrimination-against-males-in-the-context-of-humanitarian-agenciescauses/

Please do better.

The current situation is, at best, an embarrassment. And yet another printed report from the government, even one laden with woke buzzwords and abundant pictures of assertive women, won’t get us where we need to be.

My submission to the Australian government’s 2023 Human Rights Inquiry … the saga continues

For background relating to this item kindly read this earlier post

What now follows is a copy of an email I sent on 15 August 2023 to Josh Burns MP, the Chairman of the Australian Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights.

“Dear Josh

I was able to attend the Committee’s meeting in Brisbane today, albeit all too briefly due to various other commitments, and the very short notice provided.

On 7 June I lodged a three page submission to the Inquiry. I have since been in touch with the Secretariat on a couple of occasions to confirm that it would be accepted, speaking again with Geoffrey F. this morning. Meanwhile 269 submissions have been processed and published. I suggested that the fairest approach would be to process submissions in order of their receipt.

Geoffrey did not respond to that suggestion but today advised (again) that they would try to process my submission in the next few weeks. This, assuming it occurs, would take the time frame re: processing my submission out to three months.

Today’s meeting raised another query. On what basis were some people/organisations able to present to the Inquiry in person?

Did they volunteer or were they selected by your committee? If the former then why was this not mentioned in your website or advice given directly to those who had tendered submissions? If the latter, then obviously those submissions that had yet to be processed (e.g. mine) were ruled out of contention.

In each of the cases mentioned above I consider the Inquiry has handled the relevant matter oddly, if not completely inappropriately.

All in all, a disappointing effort thus far.”

(Should a response ever be received from Josh Burns then I will post a copy here)

On 18 August 2023 my submission was finally published online (#309) and I was advised as follows:

“I am writing to advise that your submission has been accepted by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights. The submission has been published with your name withheld on the committee’s webpage as Submission Number 309. You are now free to circulate your submission to other parties, should you wish to do so. We will also be providing your submission to anyone on request.

Your submission is protected by parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege refers to the special rights and immunities attached to the Parliament or its members and others necessary for the discharge of the parliamentary functions without obstruction and fear of prosecution. This means that you cannot be prosecuted or disadvantaged because of anything that you have provided in evidence, or because you gave such evidence.”

In my original submission I noted that “the online sources listed in this document, drafted by me unless indicated otherwise, form the bulk of my submission to the Inquiry.” The next development was my discovery that the hyperlinks to supporting information contained in my submission were no longer functional.

On 21 August I was advised that “Committees generally deactivate links to personal websites in submissions. If you would like to provide an addendum with the URLs spelled out in full, we can append it to your submission.” I provided a proposed addendum and was advised that this would be uploaded. I checked the Inquiry website on 23 August, clicking on my submission only to learn that “There seems to be a problem with the page. If the problem persists please contact us.” As I did. And as of the evening of 23 August my submission was available online. <Party-popper duly popped>

In closing, upon my last checking, 318 submissions had been published by the Inquiry’s Secretariat. My initial impression was one of apprehension in the face of what seems to be a surfeit of formulaic ‘woke’ and/or pro-feminist rambling. Where’s all that diversity and inclusion when it’s needed? Where’s the support for men & boys?

Ah, but things could have been so much worse! Read about the experience endured by esteemed lobby group ‘One in Three’, in their dealings with another federal inquiry.

Update as of 4 June 2024: Well, the report was released in May – see https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Human_Rights/HumanRightsFramework/Report

The report contains virtually nil reference reference to sex discrimination.

My submission to the Australian government’s 2023 Human Rights Inquiry … wherefore art thou?

Have you ever seen a feminist online advocating that those promoting the welfare of men and boys should spend less time criticizing feminism, and more time doing things to help men & boys? Yes? Well let’s take a look at an example of what happens when you seek to provide a positive input …

In early June 2023 I emailed a submission to the Inquiry into Human Rights now being conducted by the Australian Government. Note that the deadline for submissions was 1 July 2023, so I had gotten in well before time. I then sat back waiting for my submission to be accepted by the Inquiry and published on their website. Once this occurs I’m able to also provide a copy here in my website, this being in accordance with the Inquiry’s guidelines:

“After a submission is received by a committee, you cannot publish or disclose it to any other person unless or until the committee has authorised its publication. You cannot share your document until you hear from the committee that it can be published” (Source)

My submission remained unpublished as of 2 August 2023, and so I sent the following email:

Attn: Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

“My submission to the current Inquiry has been with the Secretariat for two months now.

I appreciate the earlier advice from them regarding the large number of submissions that had been received, and the time taken to process them.

Indeed I note that 185 submissions are now listed on your website. Most of these submissions were, however, presumably lodged subsequent to my own. I am somewhat puzzled by this as it would seem that processing the submissions in the order in which they were received, would be the fairest and most impartial approach to take.

Would you kindly confirm when I might anticipate my submission appearing online? Would you also please advise when further details regarding the proposed Brisbane forum will be made available?

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

On 4 August 2023 I was advised as follows:

“Thanks for your email. As my colleague mentioned, the processing of submissions is a manual one and each submission is considered individually. Publication of submission is ongoing, and will continue in the coming weeks.

Arrangements are also underway in relation to the Brisbane hearing, and further details will be published on the committee’s webpage prior to the hearing.”

That’s right, zero mention of the issue of the method of ordering re: the processing of submissions, nor was a date provided as to when my submission would appear online.

Why don’t they remove all doubt and simply state that if people choose to be critical of the current priorities of the Australian Human Rights Commission, then they shouldn’t even hope to have input into future policy formulation.

Hey, maybe I’m wrong. I hope I am. Let’s see shall we?

Update as of 15 August 2023: I attended a portion of today’s meeting in Brisbane during which I spoke to the Secretariat. I was (again) told that they would try to process my submission in the next 2-3 weeks. I have just written to the Chairman of the Inquiry expressing my disappointment.)

Update as of 4 June 2024: Well, the report was released in May – see https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Human_Rights/HumanRightsFramework/Report

The report contains virtually nil reference reference to sex discrimination.