Politics with Michelle Grattan: ‘talking about blokes’ issues’ with ex-Olympian and Labor MP Dan Repacholi

Men’s physical and mental health can be a prickly subject, both for men and those looking to help. With the rise of social media and AI, there are new challenges emerging – especially for younger men.

The re-elected Albanese government appointed the member for Hunter Dan Repacholi as its special envoy for men’s health.

Repacholi is a former five-time Olympic shooter and coal miner, who hasn’t been shy speaking about his own struggles with his weight and mental health. He wants men of all ages not to be afraid of speaking to loved ones or medical professionals about their problems – as he used to be.

So what does being the first special envoy for men’s health mean? Repacholi details his duties simply as:

I get to go and talk to blokes about blokes’ issues, because we have unique challenges that face us as men. And that main challenge is the fact that we don’t like to talk about our issues. We don’t like to go see doctors.

[…] The amazing women in our lives, they are really, really good at going and having those conversations with their GPs, having those conversation with their friends, and genuinely having a good chat about it. We’re not quite there yet. And I get to go around the place, talking to groups of folks, and listening to all the different issues that we’re facing throughout the country.

Repacholi has spoken openly about his use of injectable weight management drugs, after previously being embarrassed to see his doctor about his health.

Since then, not only has he tried to remove the stigma around using such drugs, but he details his fight to make them more widely available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS):

I have spoken about trying to get them onto the PBS and the process of getting onto the PBS is very complex. And that’ll be up to the pharmaceutical companies as to whether they do apply for that process. But I’ll continue to talk with them and just see what happens along the way.

While noting some areas of concern, Repacholi says he holds great hope for Australia’s young men.

Every generation has different and unique opportunities, and also things that hold them back […] And always we hear that the older generation says ‘I don’t know where the younger generation’s going’ […] But we have unique challenges now that weren’t around when I was younger [… and] social media plays a big part in that.

[…] But a lot of the younger people today also have a lot better coping mechanisms than what the older people had in earlier generations. Because a lot of them do talk about their issues.

Mental health has been something that has been spoken about a lot now […] Where we’ve come from in a short period of time is great. And it is really good for the younger generations to make sure that they’re getting the help they need, and for them to also understand that it’s okay to not be okay.

On the rise of online influences like Andrew Tate and “toxic masculinity”, Repacholi says:

That certainly is a worry. The right level of masculinity in boys and young men is something that is crucial to this. And those people like Andrew Tate, if you ask me, they’re the bottom feeders of the community with what they do.

[… But] from what I see with young boys, and I’m going to a lot of the schools around the place, I’m definitely seeing a change from when I was at school, which is absolutely fantastic. They’re respectful, they’re polite. You always get some that aren’t, obviously, but you get that in every group, no matter what. But it’s about calling it out.

On representing a coal-mining region during a time of a global transition, Repacholi – a former coal miner himself – says it’s clear to Hunter Valley residents that “coal-fired power stations are coming to their end of life over the next 10 to 15 years”.

He says the Albanese government’s recent creation of a Net Zero Economy Authority was about “making sure that there’s somewhere for the coal-fired power station workers to go” – adding he expects more announcements to come on that “in the near future”.

But Repacholi also says as long as there’s an overseas market for Australia’s “best quality coal in world”, his region will keep supplying it for decades to come.

The simple fact of this is whilst people wanna buy our coal, we will always sell them our coal. Whilst there’s a market there, we will continue delivering to that market […] We have the best quality coal in the world, from the largest coal port in the world as well, out of Newcastle, […] going out to all over Southeast Asia.