Repacholi urges Hunter businesses to ‘break the silence’ on men’s mental health

newy.com.au – Federal Member for Hunter and Special Envoy for Men’s Health Dan Repacholi has urged Hunter business leaders to tackle men’s mental health in their workplaces during a Business Hunter luncheon at Noah’s on the Beach in Newcastle on Monday 17 November 2025.

Repacholi told about 180 local business people that men in male-dominated industries common across the Hunter face higher risks of suicide and mental ill-health, and said employers could play a critical role in keeping “the blokes in our lives healthy, supported, and still with us”.

He opened his speech by acknowledging the Awabakal and Worimi peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land, before outlining his role as Australia’s first Special Envoy for Men’s Health and drawing on his background in trades, mining and elite sport. He said men’s health was not a niche topic but “a family issue, a workplace issue, and a bottom-line issue for every business in this room”.

Repacholi said that while Australian men and boys were among the healthiest in the world, men still died earlier than women and were more likely to delay seeking help. He said men lived on average five years less than women, about 71% of Australian men were overweight or obese, and men were over-represented in preventable chronic disease and cancer statistics. “Every day in Australia, seven men die by suicide,” he said, adding that most were in their mid-40s, often in the middle of careers and raising kids.

He warned that the Hunter’s concentration of workers in construction, manufacturing, mining, energy and FIFO or DIDO roles meant local risk was “even higher”, with long hours, distance from family and a culture of “just get on with it” taking a toll. He said many men did not recognise the signs of distress in themselves, which could show up as anger, irritability, physical symptoms, withdrawing from mates or staying longer at work because home felt hard.

Repacholi argued that silence and stigma remained major barriers, pointing to what he called the “I’m fine reflex”, low-trust, high-banter cultures and systems “not built with men in mind” as common blockers to help-seeking. “If the culture says the toughest bloke is the quietest bloke, you will end up with a lot of quiet blokes carrying very heavy loads,” he said.

Urging leaders to focus on practical steps, Repacholi called on workplaces to “make help visible, normal and bloke-friendly” by choosing one program that fits their workforce and backing it for at least a year, rather than leaving employee assistance details “hidden on page nine of the induction booklet”. He encouraged employers to train supervisors and leading hands in mental health first aid so they could spot the signs, start a conversation and know where to refer workers.

He also told businesses to bring conversations about mental health to where men already are, such as toolbox talks and safety briefings, and to give staff time and privacy to access support without fear of gossip or punishment. Fatigue, isolation, bullying and impossible workloads should be treated as psychosocial hazards, he said, “like any other hazard: identify, control, review”. Activities like barbecues, fishing trips, Men’s Shed projects and mentoring apprentices were suggested as ways to build connection by design.

Repacholi said the Federal Government was investing in targeted programs for men through the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program, including MATES in Construction, The Men’s Table and Parents Beyond Breakup’s Dads in Distress service. He also highlighted digital and community-based supports such as SMS4Dads, DadBooster, Movember, Healthy Male, the Black Dog Institute, Lifeline and Beyond Blue, telling business leaders to “think of these as tools in the toolbox. You still have to pick them up and use them.”

Setting out what he described as a picture of success, Repacholi challenged Hunter employers to commit to a simple mental health plan tailored to their workforce, train leaders to have “the hard chats”, choose one workplace risk and fix it, plug into existing programs rather than starting from scratch, and listen to honest feedback from staff. To the men in the room, he said, “strength is not silence. Strength is knowing when to shoulder the load and when to share it,” encouraging anyone struggling to speak to a GP, a mate, a supervisor or his office.

Repacholi said the Hunter could lead the nation on this issue, telling attendees, “If any region can show the rest of the country how to make men’s mental health part of everyday business, it is this one. Let’s make the Hunter the gold standard for bloke-friendly workplaces,” and offering to connect local businesses with experts to help them get started.