Men’s Health News Review – a look back at 2025 July-December
Throughout 2025, the Australian Men’s Health Forum continued to bring you a broad range of men’s health news, publishing more than 100 news articles across four key websites (AMHF, IMD, KYMF and MHW). Here we look back on a year in men’s health, with a month-by-month guide to some of our key highlights from 2025.
July 2025
In July, we announced that the 2025 theme for International Men’s Day in Australia would be “Supporting Men and Boys”, following consultation with members and supporters. We also backed the launch of the Government’s new lung cancer screening program, having engaged extensively in the consultation process to ensure men were targeted as a priority group.
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) offers free, low-dose CT scans to eligible Australians aged 50 to 70 with a significant smoking history, including current and former smokers (who quit within the past 10 years) with a history of at least 30 pack-years — the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years. We backed the Federal Government’s call for eligible men to take full advantage of the Federal Government’s new lung cancer screening program, as health authorities work to combat one of the nation’s leading causes of death.
August 2025
Throughout August, we placed a big focus on highlighting a broad range of sector activity, including Grab Life by the Balls’ “Biggest BBQ” fundraiser. We also announced the inclusion of the 10th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Convention at our National Men’s Health Gathering in Brisbane.
With September being a significant month for mental health awareness, thanks to initiatives like World Suicide Prevention Day and RUOK? Day, we primed the men’s sector with ideas on how to use the month to raise greater awareness of male mental health. We also promoted the upcoming Men’s Shed Week, with its theme “Building Healthy Communities,” and the annual Man With a Pram fundraiser for Dads Group, which coincided with Father’s Day and highlighted the importance of perinatal support for new dads.
September 2025
In September, AMHF was invited to take part in a Round Table event in Canberra on the links between Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), Suicidality and Violence, hosted by one of our member organisations, the Survivors & Mates Support Network (SAMSN).
SAMSN is a specialist service that works specifically with male victims/survivors of CSA, while taking an inclusive approach by advocating for better support for all survivors. SAMSN is working in partnership with the Disrupting Violence Beacon at Griffith University, as part of a research project led by Professor Patrick O'Leary, which aims to deepen understanding of survivors' experiences of suicidality, coping strategies, and relationships.
Assistant Minister for Social Services and the Prevention of Family Violence, Ged Kearney MP, attended the event, saying: "It's become obvious to us, to the Minister [for Social Services] Tanya Plibersek and myself, that we need to focus a lot more on men too. We need to work with men. Men are often left out of the conversations around this". She told attendees: "Your advocacy helps to continue to keep the spotlight on this important issue, and I would really love to work with you on this, particularly in this area of suicide".
We were also in Canberra for World Suicide Prevention Day, where the great work of the men’s sector was acknowledged by the Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride MP. The theme of the day this year was “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”, and we supported this message by calling for change in the narrative around male suicide, acknowledging that men’s elevated risk of suicide is linked to a range of social and economic issues. We backed this call with a mini-campaign highlighting 10 of the key social factors that drive male suicide.
October 2025
October saw the return of the National Men’s Health Gathering, three days in Brisbane that will live long in the memory of everyone who attended. A key feature of the Gathering was the strong focus on grassroots men’s health initiatives, featured in the Men’s Sector Showcase, which ran across three days. Day One highlights included a Q&A with Assistant Minister for Social Services and the Prevention of Family Violence, Ged Kearney MP.
Day Two featured a conversation with The Special Envoy for Men’s Health Chief of Staff, Chad Griffith. He told the Gathering: “One of the big things we’ve heard again and again is about funding — how hard it is for good programs to keep going. There are incredible organisations out there doing life-changing work with almost no resources. We have to be in a space where good programs are funded.”
Amongst the many highlights of the Gathering was the National Men’s Health Awards 2025 and conference dinner. The evening included the presentation of the inaugural Greg Millan Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr Uncle Mick Adams, recognising his decades-long contribution to men’s health — particularly among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
November 2025
November always sees an increased focus on men and boys, thanks to International Men’s Day on the 19th and the global fundraiser Movember, which keeps a spotlight on men’s health.
AMHF hosted a powerful series of webinars to coincide with Inclusion at Work Week and International Men’s Day. Titled “Men, Inclusion and the Workplace,” the program explored how businesses can better support men’s health, well-being, and inclusion in diverse work environments.
In the run-up to International Men's Day and throughout November, AMHF ran an online campaign highlighting 100+ groups around Australia doing great work to support men and boys.
More broadly, 2025 was the year that International Men’s Day entered the political mainstream, with politicians across the political spectrum marking the day in significant numbers for the first time. In 2015, one MP tabled a motion in the New South Wales parliament questioning “the utility of International Men’s Day”. In 2025, politicians from left to right were united in their view that “Supporting Men and Boys” - our theme for International Men’s Day - is good for families, good for communities, and good for Australia. Once IMD had passed, we also put together an analysis of the latest suicide data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics – 10 new facts about male suicide in Australia 2025.
December 2025
In December, we reported that the Shadow Minister for Education and Early Learning, Julian Leeser MP, had called on the Federal Government to support a parliamentary inquiry into boys’ education. Boys’ educational attainment was one of the key planks of the Australian Men’s Health Forum’s Federal Election Platform 2025. In the run-up to the May election, we called on politicians to support action on the social factors that shape men and boys’ health.
One of the key social determinants of men’s health and well-being is their level of educational attainment. Put simply, better education for boys equals better health for men. We were delighted to see the Opposition putting boys’ education on the political agenda.
December also saw our AGM, with President Gillian Hunt describing 2025 as a year when AMHF shifted from planning to delivery.
Merry Christmas Everyone
We hope you enjoyed the year in men’s health as much as we did. From everyone at the Australian Men’s Health Forum, we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to filling your year with more great men’s health news throughout 2026.