“It’s okay to ask for help”: Casey MP joins non-partisan men’s mental health push

The group will regularly collaborate with men’s health organisations like The Man Cave and Healthy Male.

Matthew Sims
November 26, 2025

You often see Liberal, Labor and independent MPs yelling at each other across the parliament floor during Question Time.

However, three key Federal MPs have found some common ground: the importance of men’s mental health.

❤️ Crossing the floor: Last Wednesday, Liberal Casey MP Aaron Violi joined ACT senator David Pocock and Labor MP and Special Envoy for Men’s Health Dan Repacholi to launch the Parliamentary Friends of Healthy Masculinities.

♂ Positive masculinity: Violi said the group would act as “a non-partisan forum for parliamentarians to meet with organisations on matters relating to positive masculinity, stronger relationships, safer communities and better outcomes for men and boys, as well as for women and families”.

🗣️ “Dan, Dave and I grew up in a generation where it wasn’t okay as a man to talk about your feelings, we were taught to bottle it up and to always show strength,” Violi told the Eastern Melburnian. “It’s important young men know how to express their feelings, deal with emotions and that it is okay to ask for help.”

Young mental health issues continue to be “complex” as Headspace helps 1,000 young people across Melbourne's eastern suburbs in the past year

Headspace Knox is open on weekdays at 2 Capital City Boulevard at Westfield Knox in Wantirna South, while Headspace Lilydale’s doors are open from Monday to Thursday at 216 Main Street.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Peer support: Speaking to reporters, Violi said he was “lucky to find good role models” within his local sport communities after his parents separated when he was in Grade 6 and no longer had a father figure at home.

🗣️ “Looking back, like many young men, I self-medicated through alcohol,” said Violi. “That was a cultural norm, but it wasn’t healthy.”

🚫 No excuse for violence: Coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Monday, Violi spoke in Parliament about how healthier interpretations of masculinity would help drive down the prevalence of violence against women.

🗣️ “We need to call out any inappropriate behaviour made by our friends, our colleagues and our workmates,” said Violi. “We need to make sure that all men understand that violence is not acceptable in any circumstance.”

For mental health support, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Men's Line on 1300 78 99 78.

Image Credit: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas