She-Wolves In Sheeps' Clothing

With special guests:

• Elizabeth Willmott Harrop and
• Steve Martin.

She may not be the first, nor will she be the last, to speak out in abhorrence at the level of accepted community bigotry. However on the subject of female child abusers, nobody does it better than Elizabeth Willmott Harrop, “She-Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”. Elizabeth resides in New Zealand, is a freelance writer, and has a Masters Degree in Human Rights and Social Change.

If anyone should be in doubt about the true state of who is actually involved with the abuse of children in our communities, they should listen to this weeks’ excellent interview with Elizabeth. As a well informed social commentator from New Zealand, she has carefully researched the subject, and articulates her findings with a passion, reserved for those stung by a horrible truth.

Elizabeth details her research, which includes statistics from the USA , Australia and the UK, as well as that of her native New Zealand, and the global findings are frighteningly similar.

What is most distressing is the level of Government unwillingness to recognize the findings of a plethora of studies, which reveal that female child abusers not only exist, but in actual number, almost equals the number of male abusers.

Unbelievably, despite the wealth of credible information available, elected representatives in the western democracies, persist in turning a blind eye to the truth about this issue, resulting in the drafting of hopelessly ineffective child protection legislation, which continues to be founded on a distorted perception of reality.

 

We are also joined by Steve Martin, CEO of Stepfamilies Australia, Melbourne, who speaks in detail about the dads in stepfamilies and the services offered by his organization.    

It is estimated that one in five Australian families is a stepfamily, which is fast becoming a prominent part of Australian family life. Many of these families need information, education and support. While there are many resources for biological families available to the community, the unique differences associated with stepfamilies are not well addressed, with very few services available.

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What Men Want - In Bed

With special guests:

• Bettina Arndt and
• Helen Rimington. 

At a time when it is considered funny and fashionable to engage in men and father bashing, it is certainly refreshing to see someone with the courage to enquire about the physical and emotional needs of men.

Well known social commentator, author and sex therapist Bettina Arndt,  “What Men Want - In Bed”, joins us to speak about her new book, and explains in detail, what her research into the needs of men has discovered.

 
Outspoken and pleasantly engaging, Bettina has left no stone unturned, in order to discover the inner thoughts of men, which are usually not discussed in public and which many men struggle with. This book is now widely available and a must read for all men.

 

We begin the show with an interesting interview with another woman who supports the well-being of men, Helen Rimington Director, Family Wellbeing,“Drummond Street Services”, who details the services provided by her organisation.

Helen speaks of a great new program offered to Dads, “Backyard Blitz”, which is an activity program specifically designed to help Dads and their kids.

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Fatherless Day 2010

With special guests:

• Barry Williams

• Stephen S Holden and
  

• Warwick Marsh.
                                                                              

Despite all the evidence available in the form of a multitude of credible research and statistics, which clearly shows the immense damage being done to the bonds of family kinship in our Australian communities, the unrelenting push for a fatherless society continues.

The fact that this mountain of evidence continues to be ignored, is a sad reflection on the way our parliamentary system of government has been hijacked, by the anti-male zealots within the political parties and the bureaucracy.

 

Hundreds of thousands of Dads will not see their children this Fathers Day 2010, yet this did not even rate one mention during the recent federal election.  It is no wonder the wider community has turned their back on the main parties, who have ignored the many concerns of their constituents for far too long.

 

Speaking about some of these concerns, Barry Williams, President of the Lone Fathers Association Australia, describes the current Family laws as being in breach of anti discrimination legislation. He plans to take 4 points of discrimination to the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.

 

We also speak with separated father Stephen S Holden author of The Other Glass Ceiling, who details some of the anti-father legislation and how easily it can destroy a fathers’ relationship with his children.

We end the show with Warwick Marsh, of Dads4Kids, who speaks about the importance of dads in a child’s life, and the celebration of fatherhood this special weekend on Fathers Day.

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The Plight Of Modern Man

With special guest:

• Paul Mischefski.  
                                                                              
  

This week we feature an interesting pre-recorded interview with investigative journalist Paul Mischefski of Mens Wellbeing, who speaks on a range of issues facing modern man in the 21st Century. In particular, there is considerable discussion around the way Domestic Violence issues are dealt with in Australia and elsewhere.  

Paul throws much doubt on the way information is gathered and how studies are conducted, which is reflected in poor domestic violence policy formulation by our governments. The resulting damage to generations of innocent men and boys by such discriminating anti male Domestic Violence propaganda, is incalculable.         

The ‘Mens Wellbeing’ website provides much helpful and informative information, including the following:  

At their deepest level, most men yearn to participate in some small or large way in the creation of a better world, and in doing so serve their families, loved ones and community. How to fulfil this yearning in these complex times is a conundrum that leaves some part of just about every man struggling for clear direction within himself about what it means to be an authentic, healthy man in our society.

Being a man in the 21st Century is no easy task.  In just one generation, the expectations on men have changed dramatically. Our roles as fathers, lovers, workers, community members, brothers and friends have all changed from what was expected of our fathers, in some cases almost beyond recognition. This rapid rate of change has left many men without adequate role models and in a state of confusion about what it means to be a man in the modern era.

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Families And Elections

With special guests:

• Samantha Page and
  

• John Flanagan.
                                                                              

First up we speak with Samantha Page, who is the Executive Director of Family Relationship Services Australia (FRSA), which is the national peak body for family relationship and support services. Their purpose and mission, is to provide national leadership and representation for services that work to strengthen the well-being, safety and resilience of families, children and communities.  

FRSA member organizations deliver professional, quality assured family and relationship services across Australia through more than 400 outlets. Their membership includes faith-based and secular organizations, ranging in size and scope from small local community organizations to large state-wide and national service providers.  

Samantha faced some difficult questioning dealing with the delays in the system, the non-compliance of court orders, and the agenda driven anti shared parenting bias of some of the agencies.

Our second guest this week is John Flanagan, who is the Deputy Registered Officer of the Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting). John speaks candidly about the role of his party in the coming Federal Elections.   

While the NCPP does not expect to see any of their candidates in Parliament, the Party nevertheless plays an important role in raising community awareness to the perilous state of  the Family Justice System, and the debilitating cost to the fabric of our society.  

John acknowledges that the 2006 legislation, which provided us with the much heralded “Equal Shared Parenting Responsibility Bill”, has absolutely nothing to do with  “Equal Shared Parenting Time” for separated parents.  

Unfortunately, while Dads On The Air correctly pointed out at the time, that it was a cruel exercise in Political Spin, most of the wider community, the service providers, as well as many in the fatherhood movement, fell for this discredited political con job.

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What's Happening To Our Boys

With special guest:

• Maggie Hamilton.
  

Like a breath of fresh air, it was delightful to have Maggie Hamilton, celebrated author, teacher and publisher, join us on the program this week, to speak about her latest book ‘What’s Happening To Our Boys’ .    

With this new book, Maggie takes a good look into the trails and tribulations facing our boys and young men in the early part of the 21st century. As always, this well researched book is a must buy for today’s parents, who often find themselves struggling with the competing influences challenging the parenting of their sons.  

Maggie leaves no stone unturned, as she delves deep into how boys and young men deal with the many issues they face in a modern technological society, while also stressing the importance of a dad or other good male role model in their lives.  

Unfortunately Ken Thompson was unable to contact us to provide a scheduled update of his bicycle trip around Europe, where he is searching for his abducted son Andrew. However we look forward to hear the latest news of his experiences next week.  

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A Help Line For Men

With special guest

• Andrew King. 
  

The program this week mainly centers around some of what help is available for men, and accordingly we speak with Andrew King of MensLine Australia, who explains in detail the services provided by this excellent government funded support service for men.

MensLine Australia is the national telephone support, information and referral service for men with family and relationship concerns. The service is available from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is staffed by paid professional counsellors, experienced in men’s issues.

The benefits of telephone counselling are particularly attractive to men, who often find it tough to ask for help and can find face-to-face discussions about difficult issues confronting and even shameful. MensLine Australia offers a private and ‘safe’ environment for guys to talk about their problems. Over the phone, callers are anonymous and can retain more control over what happens as they can terminate the call at any time.

When faced with a problem, men are often more focussed on outcomes and practical solutions than their emotions and internal world. MensLine Australia counsellors recognize this preference and offer a down-to-earth, practical approach to counselling, whilst also encouraging men to deal with important issues in an effective way.

Although the process of separation is traumatic for all concerned, it can be particularly difficult for men whose coping strategies are often limited. MensLine Australia’s counsellors have ready access to relevant information and referral to men’s services at any time and from anywhere in the country.

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International Mens Day Special

With special guests:

• Dr. Elizabeth Celi
• Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh
• Diane A. Sears
• Jason Thompson
• Frank Crump and
• Uma Challa  

We dedicate the whole of this weeks’ program to International Men’s Day, which is finally and deservedly starting to get more recognition and traction around the world. Warwick Marsh, from Dads4Kids who is the Global Coordinator for IMD, set the scene last week on Dads on the Air when he spoke about some of the events taking place in Australia and around the world to celebrate this important International event.  

Our guests this week are from 3 different continents, representing millions of good and decent men around the globe, who currently witness themselves being publicly and relentlessly maligned on a daily basis. While there are exceptions to every rule, these should never be used to misrepresent the whole group in the way we now see men being portrayed.  

We commence our International lineup of guests with Australia’s Dr Elizabeth Celi from Quality Living who is the keynote speaker at the  IMD function to be held at Australia’s Parliament House in the Nation’s Capital, Canberra, on the 19th November. Dr. Celi is a strong supporter of the rights of men to be treated as an equal in a modern society, instead of having to face the daily injustices that confront them in many sectors of our community.   

Next we speak with Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh from Trinidad in the West Indies, who is the founder of IMD and described the event in the following manner, “International Men’s Day is about addressing the challenges and problems that men face; improving gender relations between men and women; promoting gender equality; highlighting positive male role models – not just movie stars and athletes – but “everyday working class men who are living decent, honest lives”; and creating a safer and better world”.  

We then speak with Diane A. Sears, IMD Coordinator in the USA, who puts it this way, “We must work together as a team. International Mens Day provides us with a great opportunity. Strong fathers create and sustain efficiently functioning family units which positively shape the minds and souls of our children – our future – our bridge to the future. After all, isn’ t it really about our children?”  

The person responsible for Global Promotions, who is also the Historian and Coordinator for IMD is Australia’s Jason Thompson and our next guest, who would like to take this opportunity to ask individuals and organizations who are planning an event to contact him with the details at: soulgany@bigpond.com

The following guest is Frank Crump from the USA and UPI Education, who with  IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® have entered into a partnership in observance of International Men’s Day 2009 on Thursday, 19 November 2009. UPI Education is asking students, faculty, and administrators to observe International Men’s Day 2009 through one moment of silence beginning at 11:19 A.M. (EST) and ending at 11:20 A.M. (EST) to commemorate and contemplate the sacrifices and contributions that Men have made throughout the world. UPI Education is also soliciting essays, articles, and poems from students and adults which identify the positive male role models that have influenced their lives. These essays, articles, and poems will be published on IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD®’s blog.  

We conclude our program interviewing  one of the hardest working and passionate promoters of equality and justice for all, Uma Challa from India. Uma Challa is the IMD Coordinator for India. She made the point that, “International women’s Day is celebrated the world over every year but we also need to have a celebration every year to recognize and honor men: our fathers, brothers, partners, sons, male friends and colleagues; for the numerous services they render and the innumerable sacrifices they make to ensure the health and well-being of the family and the society.”

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Action On Men's Health

With special guests:

• Greg Andresen 
  

• Ray Kelly and

• Geoffrey Greene. 

We start the program by doing a live cross to the National Men’s Health Gathering 2009, being held in the city of Newcastle. Greg Andresen reports on the planned activities for the four day event. While a significant national event, which only takes place every alternate year, it sees Dads on the Air as the only member of the national news media to attend this important National Convention on Men’s Health issues, for the full week.

Greg Andresen and Peter van de Voorde, who are representing Dads on the air at the conference, will be recording a number of presentations and have planned a series of interviews with leading participants that will be aired in coming weeks on our program.

Our second interview is with Indigenous leader Ray Kelly, an academic based at Newcastle University, who gave the opening presentation at the 5th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention. This Convention was the forerunner to the National Men’s Health Conference and the National Family and Relationships Forum, and was devoted to Indigenous issues where men’s health issues are even more predominant than in the general community.

We also speak with Geoffrey Greene the President of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia, about the three separate inquiries into Family Law being conducted by the Rudd Government. He argued that despite the concerted push to wind back the Family Law reforms introduced by the Howard government, the Trade Union movement would be a force within the ALP to block these changes. The Union movement wants to avoid a return to the dark ages when fathers only saw their children intermittently, if at all, following separation.

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Iron John

With special guest:

• “Athol”.  

This weeks show deals with American author, Robert Bly’s insightful interpretation of the Grimms brothers fairy tale “Iron John”.  “Iron John” tells the story of a boy who is mentored by a wild man thru various trials and tribulations to emerge a hero and eventually marry the King’s daughter.  

Iron John is also the name of a men’s group based in Sydney that meets regularly and deals with issues arising in its member’s lives. We are privileged to interview one of the members of this group who identifies himself as Athol. 

In his book, ‘Iron John; a story about men’ Bly interprets the original tale, explaining its relevance to the development of the pre-industrial male psyche whilst lamenting the failures of modern society to correctly initiate boys into manhood and the subsequent disastrous impacts upon the lives of modern men and women.

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Facts Versus Myths

With special guest:

• Sue Price.  

Once again we continue with the ever present need to put the record straight and expose the truth behind the myths and disinformation generally being presented in the media, regarding the many factors surrounding the family justice system.

Our editorial position is that, unless policies and programs are formulated as a result of sound research which is grounded in verifiable facts about the nature, extend and causes of the problems, we will never achieve a just and equitable outcome and separating families will continue to suffer as a result.

This week our guest is Sue Price of the ‘Mens Rights Agency’. As always Sue points out the urgent need for better reporting and the necessity for correct analysis of the operation of the current system and in particular the success or otherwise of the mediation centers which were set up by the Howard government, as a first point of call for broken families.

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Marriage Matters

With special guests:

• Warwick Marsh  and

• Bill Kable.

First we speak with the founder of the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation, which is now Australia’s largest pro-father, pro-marriage and pro-family charity, Warwick Marsh.

Warwick, together with his wife and daughter, recently attended the Smart Marriages Conference in Florida, USA. During his US tour in July, Warwick met with leaders in the American fatherhood and marriage movement and recorded many interviews for TV and radio. He speaks with us about his recent tour and his passion to promote marriage and the virtues of staying together for better or worse.

Next we introduce the newest member of the Dads on the Air team, Bill Kable. Bill is a Sydney lawyer who is also a professional mediator with a mission to encourage fathers to take an active role in the lives of their children, and to ensure they remain in the lives of their children should parental separation occur.  

Bill speaks candidly about some of his own experiences with the family justice system, and how it fails non custodial parents and their children, especially in the area of non-enforcement of contact orders.  

Also in the studio were two other new members of the Dads on the Air team, Bill’s wife Catherine, a University lecturer and Trevor Miller, a retired ABC TV editor. All of whom have had extensive experience with the family justice system and realize the urgent need to ensure the nation’s children obtain real equal shared parenting time with both of their  parents, following parental separation.  Welcome aboard. 

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Heaven, Earth, Mankind and Happy Dads

With Special Guests:

• Professor Ian Plimer and
  
• Professor John Jenkins.

This week we opt for variety, beginning the show with one of Australia’s leading climate change sceptics Professor Ian Plimer, whose new book Heaven & Earth: Global Warming The Missing Science has topped the bestseller lists and is already into its fifth edition in Australia in a month. The author of seven books, Professor Plimer is somewhat taken aback to finally find himself the author of a bestseller. Not only are issues around global warming of intrinsic worth to fathers, the propaganda techniques used to convince the general population that only politicians can save us through higher taxes and greater government control is also of direct relevance.

We then move on to Professor John Jenkins, who has just completed a study on separated dads suggesting they should learn to relax, play and have more fun with their kids. For everybody’s sake.

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The Woman Racket

With special guests:

• Steve Moxon and
• Sue Price.

Steve Moxon is the English author of a new book called “The Woman Racket - the new science explaining how the sexes relate at work, at play and in society”. Notwithstanding its provocative title, The Woman Racket is a serious scientific investigation into one of the key myths of our age - that women are oppressed by the “patriarchal” traditions of Western societies. Drawing on the latest developments in evolutionary psychology, Moxon finds that the opposite is true - men, or at least the majority of low-status males - have always been the victims of deep-rooted prejudice. As the prejudice is biologically derived, it is unconscious and can only be uncovered with the tools of scientific psychology. The book reveals this prejudice in fields as diverse as healthcare, employment, family policy and politics: compared to the long and bloody struggle for universal male suffrage, women were given the vote “in an historical blink of the eye”

Also Sue Price, from the Men’s Rights Agency joins us to talk about the new Child Support Agency scheme to go through old income tax records in an attempt to bring some additional pennies into its coffers.

Plus the 5th and final instalment of the radio drama Hero Joe, produced especially for Dads on the Air.

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Dads in Schools

With special guests:

• John Andrianus and Dave Turnidge from the Boys in Schools Program, part of the Fathers in Communities Project at the Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle. Begun in February 2006, this 2-year project has 3 objectives: to create stronger families through supporting men in their roles as fathers, create a greater awareness for families and schools of the importance of the role of fathers and to provide guidelines and resources to assist in that work.

Also, Greg Andresen reports in from the Men and Family Relationships National Forum in Adelaide.

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What Men Don't Talk About

With special guests:

• Maggie Hamilton, author of What Men Don’t Talk About says “writing this book… was prompted by my growing unease at the many assumptions I had made about men. While I’d been happy to believe that… men were never vulnerable, when I took a closer look at men, I began to realise this wasn’t the case… I realised that the many dilemmas men grapped with, the pain they felt, were largely invisible.”
• Nick Gleeson from Vision Australia has two children, lost his sight when he was seven years old after colliding with a supermarket door. After successfully competing in the gruelling Comrades 90km marathon run in South Africa in 2000, he climbed the challenging Mt Kilimanjaro, highest peak in Africa and was the first blind Australian to make it to the summit.

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