Thank you Warwick for drawing our attention to what is important - a timely article that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I don't get how and your honest depiction of a despair that drives many over the edge has made you a target for abuse ... perhaps that is why male suicide is so prevalent in this country - because so many men are not able to find support when they try to honestly confront their worst fears ... good on you for realising, in time, what was most important to you.

I am not sure how this forum it turned into a debate on same sex marriage - but if we are going there then it would be poignant to point out that the statistics for long term gay relationships are hardly supportive of encouraging same sex parenting ... did I last read that most gay men have around 10 to 49 partners? ... and in the UK new peer reviewed research says that children who are brought up in by gay parents are most likely to be gay themselves (Sociologist, Patricia Morgan). The report found numerous inaccuracies in related research i.e. most compare gay parents against single parents and none have been honest enough to compare gay parenting outcomes against the benefits of a heterosexual family ... until now

The above doesn't make me homophobic - or a member of the religious right - it makes me a student of current literature on a topic that is vital for us all to understand

As fathers and mothers we can do no less that fight for whatever is in the BEST interest of our children - we owe this to them and to their children after them ...

I am heartened to hear that there is a wind of change in the air and a shift in values back to the strengthening of families - I am glad that young people waking up to the social indoctrination they have been subject to and that marriage is being fought for.

Protagoras, it is not a claim, it is factual data released by the Department of Child Protection WA. Even this report states that indigenous children are over represented in WA as abuse victims, could it be because indigenous populations are highly represented in WA and the NT? I don’t doubt for one second the AIC facts you stated about child sexual abuse.

Suzieonline, “I won’t shut up until I see a better outcome for children” The only way that is going to occur is to stop laying blame on fathers as a group, especially post separation. The reality is that children are being abused by people supposed to be protecting them.

The latest NHMP report http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/F/B/%7BFFB9E49F-160F-43FC-B98D-6BC510DC2AFD%7Dmr01.pdf from the AIC “in 22 incidents a “male family member” was the perpetrator in a certain number of incidents and “mothers” the remainder. A complaint about the category “male family member” revealed an error in the report in data transposition.

Email from Jack Dearden AIC 22/01/2009
Your request alerted us to an error within the NHMP 2006-07 Annual Report. Homicide statistics differ if they are reported on the victims’ relationship with their offender or offenders’ relation with the victim. In this case, there was a transcription error as we moved between the two. Instead of 7 homicides involving a mother and 15 involving male family members killing a child as originally stated, 11 homicides involved a mother and 11 homicides involved a male family member killing a child in 2006-07.

Regarding your request, of the 11 homicides that involved a male family member, 6 involved biological fathers of the child and 5 were de-facto partners of the mother, who lived with the child. One biological father murdered two children.
We acknowledge the usage of male family member and mother is not a useful way of classifying relationship between a child homicide victim and their offender. In future reports we will employ classifications that provide a more detailed classification of the relationship between child victims and offenders.

Thanks for your article Warwick. I appreciate the work you do for others and society at great personal cost. I am honoured to know you: you are indeed a man of courage, commitment and honour. Happy Fathers Day... Warwick and all you dads out there!

Well spotted, woulfe. I was wondering why the unmistakeable odour of fundy Christian bulldust seemed to surround this saccharine piece. It's interesting that he's brought his own cheer squad with him - undoubtedly from among the homophobic ranks of his 'Australian Heart Ministries'.

As a father and grandfather, I agree that it's the responsibility of fathers to sustain and protect their kids, rather than for kids to 'save' their dads. Men who suicide and kill their kids while they're at it are the worst of losers, and while pitiable they deserve little sympathy.

Yes, fathers and fatherhood should be celebrated, but this disingenuous piece of propaganda isn't the way to do it, in this father's view.

CJMorgan:"Men who suicide and kill their kids while they're at it are the worst of losers, and while pitiable they deserve little sympathy."

Thanks for that, CJ, a truly inspiring contribution. No doubt you think that women (who don't usually suicide themselves, just kill the kids then claim depression made them do it) are universally poor victims driven to it by a man.

It's becoming increasingly obvious you just don't like men, little fella.

"Little man" syndrome, perhaps?

An interesting piece, Warwick. As a father who's been through the mill, I know where you're coming from. The whole process took years off my life and if I'd not had some very good friends, it may well have lead me to the despair you describe.

Keep up the good work and don't let the comments of the ignoranti bother you.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the sentiment in Warwick's piece. He wrotes from a father's point of view and his own personal story should be told if it helps other fathers.

Tackling Warwick on particular comments about fatherless households and impact on incarceration figures is not to bait him or to abuse him as some have extravagantly described.

It is interesting that if this article had been written by a Wendy Marsh about mothers and motherless households and/or PND, posters like Antiseptic would be arguing victim mentality and raising all the important aspects of fatherhood in response and how feminism is ruling and ruining the world. I think even Anti would admit to as much.

I can understand why there has been a movement by men to fight for more equality in the area of Family Law. It has been skewed towards mothers for years. But equally so feminism did not arise out of the fog without cause.

As another poster said above, lets celebrate fatherhood, motherhood and children without prejudice to gender or sexuality.