SA One Nation state MP Sarah Game struck a blow for men—and against mainstream media who blithely dismiss our party, its principles, and its supporters—by having a landmark motion pass through South Australian Parliament last week.

Sarah, elected to the SA upper house in 2022, received support from both the SA Labor Government and the SA Liberal Opposition for her motion to acknowledge International Men’s Day and recognise the many positive things men bring to the world.

In the process, she also managed to expose the ignorance and arrogance of a well-known SA commercial radio duo, who dissed the very idea of Sarah’s successful International Men’s Day charity fundraiser, held for the second time in Adelaide recently.

During her speech to parliament before calling the motion to a vote, Sarah outlined the conversation between David Penberthy and Will Goodings on 5AA, including reading out these quotes from Penberthy:

“It's this International Men's Day thing. It's not like a sort of, you know, ban all immigrants or abolish native title events... but it's One Nation, organised by Sarah Game, MLC. She has thrown in her lot with this International Men's Day event, which is something which, as a bloke, I've got to say I find a bit dubious.”

And he continued:

“Maybe when a bloke gets murdered once every four days by his partner, we should start thinking seriously about it.

“Or maybe when men won't go to court in the event that they have been sexually assaulted because they don't want to go through the process of giving evidence about their female attacker.

“When men have to grapple with issues like that, maybe then we need International Men's Day. Until then, maybe we don't. That's just my opinion. Many will disagree, but I don't think too many of them are female, though.”

As Sarah pointed out, her sold-out International Men’s Day event, featuring an array of outstanding and emotive guest speakers, attracted support from all sides of politics, from all walks of life, and from both genders—and it benefited Lifeline.

It was apolitical, yet these two commentators couldn’t see beyond their own biases to acknowledge its worth.

Sad for them.

But good on Sarah, who has consistently called for the SA Government to establish a portfolio for men. She has also worked tirelessly for society to “take a break from the doom and gloom statistics on men and shine a light on the enormous contribution men are making to society individually and as a society at large.”

Amen to that.

Sarah Game’s motion (passed in SA parliament’s upper house):

I move that this council—

1. Acknowledges that 19 November 2024 is International Men's Day, focusing on men's health, showcasing male role models, fostering positive gender relations, and advocating for constructive expressions of masculinity;

2. Recognises the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and communities;

3. Acknowledges that men face a series of health challenges that need to be addressed to have our communities function to their fullest potential; and

4. Recognises that men deserve to be celebrated on International Men's Day to the same extent we celebrate women on International Women's Day.