Australian Fathers

An additional follow-up letter to the editor.

Lake Times
Page 4, 11 August 2011.

Federal MP crticised.

The local Federal Member for Throsby, Stephen Jones, is running from the locals.

The Federal Member’s office initially agreed to speak at the Fairness In Child Support’s August meeting. At the last minute, his Office Manager rang to cancel the appointment.

This is despite the fact that the appointment had been made 4 months previously and confirmed a week ago.

This is supposedly because Stephen Jones had other commitments.

In reality, Stephen Jones did not wish to speak on issues outside of his comfort zone.

If Stephen Jones is truly the local representative, then why does he not want to speak to his constituents?

John Flanagan
Assistant Secretary
Fairness In Child Support
Coniston.

Hi

Our local Federal Member, Stephen Jones MP*, was supposed to attend our August Fairness In Child Support meeting. This was to discuss the Family Violence Bill and other similar issues. At the last moment, he chose not to attend, claiming that the meeting was a set-up.

This is a letter to the editor published in the local newspaper on 10 August 2011. This was in reply to his non-attendance.

Regards

John

* Stephen Jones is the Labor Member for Throsby (Wollongong), formerly held by Jennie George.

Illawarra Mercury
Letters to the Editor
Page 19, 10 August 2011

Keeping up with Jones.

I would like to express my disillusionment with the Federal Member for Throsby, Mr Stephen Jones MP.

As the local member, he is supposed to represent all constituents in the electorate of Throsby and not to be selective. He may not agree with what he is hearing. That is his right.

However he has a responsibility to listen to the concerns of others and not to bury his head in the sand.

Mr Jones was invited to a meeting of the Fairness in Child Support to discuss the changes relating to shared parenting. The new laws or the interpretation of the laws are going to disadvantage children and the rights of the child to grow up knowing both parents.

As such, this will cause hardship to a large cross-section of the community. The meeting was a way to express these concerns and maybe get some insight into how the Government reasoned to regressing a law introduced under the Howard years.

Mr Jones accepted knowing both the date and the content of the meeting. No set-up, just a way of getting answers and feedback. Months of planning went into organising this meeting. Then a week before the meeting, he decided to withdraw.

His actions have shown a lack of character and integrity. It is a clear sign that he has betrayed his slogan that he sprouted during the last election – that he would take on the hard issues.

Neville Edwards, Port Kembla.

Celebrating Dads

First Sunday of September is a special time of year when we honour
Dads. Fathers are often wrongly depicted in the media as angry, or
dead-beat which is a huge misrepresentation of most fathers out there who work
hard and give their children love, guidance, and strength.

The origin of Father’s Day is not clear. Some say that it began
with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father’s
Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.

The president of the Chicago branch of the Lions’ Club, Harry Meek,
is said to have celebrated the first Father’s Day with his organization in
1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest
date to Meek’s own birthday!

Nearly every culture across the globe has ways of celebrating their
fathers and thanking them for all they do. Each culture shows tribute to their
fathers in different ways and at different times of the year but in the end we
are all honouring the men who helped raise us and play an important role in
society as a whole.

At schools from the UK and Ireland, to Australia and South Africa
it is not uncommon for communities to organize large scale parties to celebrate
Dads and emphasize the important role they have.

Father’s Day is a new concept in India and has only been celebrated
for a decade. In the US and Canada Father’s Day is a good time for family
reunions and to let him know the difference he’s made often with simple gifts
and dinners made especially for him. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe fathers have
a special day to recognize all that they do for us.

Best wishes and Happy Father’s Day!

“The father–child relationship is the defining factor of  the fatherhood role in life.

“A father is known as a  man who exercises paternal care over other people.^[2][3]  Most fathers are naturally protective, supportive, and responsible and are able  to provide a number of significant benefits to themselves, their communities,  and their children.^[4]
Involved fathers offer developmentally specific provisions to their sons and daughters throughout the life cycle and are impacted themselves by their doing  so.^[5]  Active father figures have a key role to play in reducing behavior problems in boys and psychological problems in young women.^[6] For example, children who experience significant father involvement tend to exhibit higher scores on assessments of cognitive development, enhanced social skills and fewer behaviour problems.^[7][8][9] An increased amount of father–child involvement has also proven to increase a child’s social stability, educational achievement, and even their potential to  have a solid marriage as an adult. The children are also more curious about the world around them and develop greater problem solving skills.^[10] Children who were raised without fathers perceive themselves to be less cognitively and physically competent than their peers from father-present
families.^[11] Mothers raising children without fathers reported more severe disputes with
their child. Sons raised without fathers showed more feminine but no less masculine characteristics of gender role behaviour.^[12]

According to the anthropologist Maurice Godelier, the parental role assumed by human males is a critical difference between human society and that of humans’ closest biological relatives—chimpanzees and bonobos—who appear to be unaware of their “father” connection.^[13][14]“

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father#Father.E2.80.93child_relationship

The Daily Telegraph editorial From:The Daily Telegraph July 20, 2011

According to the latest research, Australians between the ages of 25 and 34 are the most prone to loneliness. It is probably not a coincidence that people in this age bracket are among the most intensive users of new media. In fact, according to the same research, those who use many platforms of new media are more prone to feeling lonely than are those who use only one or two platforms. The solution to all of this solitude may not be to cut back on email or internet use but instead to expand potential contact places beyond the virtual realm. In other words, get outside and meet someone. This is far from being a trivial matter. Australia has for a long time been over-represented when it comes to serious depression issues involving young adults. Meeting people can help.

Quoted from Fathers for Equality…

“Julia Gillard has got a serious problem with Australian men. So much so that she is soon about to pass the most malicious anti-male laws this country has ever seen, which will effectively presume that all separated men are Wife Abusers or Child Sexual Predators, that is an effective presumption of Guilt against separated fathers. This bill will rely on the subjective thoughts of the alleged victim to determine guilt or innocence, not on objective or conclusive facts.

So these new laws effectively mean that even if an event did not occur, a separated father will still be judged to be an abuser, because all the alleged victim has to do is say that she is scared…no facts or proof required.”

Call for a parliamentary office for Children and for Men!