It’s Time Australian Men Have An Honest Conversation About Being Better

• White Ribbon Australia’s new campaign, Not Perfect, Better, encourages men to address violence against women.
• Many Australian men feel disconnected from anti-violence efforts, but this campaign reminds them they can be part of the solution.
• The initiative offers practical tools and real stories to help men take small but significant actions.

The original mission of White Ribbon Australia was always to be a voice for men, to have men talking to other men, and to help men address a worldwide problem that starts in our own backyard.

The reality is that violence against women is a cycle that plays out in everyday moments: the comments, the casual jokes down the street, the unsolicited messages in the DMs, the silence when something’s not right. And for too long, too many men have stayed quiet, thinking it wasn’t their problem. It is.

Throughout 2024, White Ribbon Australia sat down and spoke with men and boys across the country – across cultures, ages, and backgrounds – and asked some tough, but honest, questions. What does it mean to be a good man? A better partner? A good mate?

Many of the participants said that they felt disconnected from the narrative about violence against women. Not because they didn’t want to help, but because they didn’t feel like they could. Some didn’t think they were “perfect enough” to speak up. If they had made mistakes, held outdated views, or weren’t proud of every choice they’d made, could they still be part of the solution?

This May, during Australia’s Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, White Ribbon Australia is proudly kicking off a conversation for men to start thinking differently about their place in all this.

Not Perfect, Better is a national call to action that meets men where they are. It’s about real stories, real growth, and practical ways for men to step up for the cause and address the enduring issues head-on.

Because the truth is: this issue affects everyone. UN research tells us that around 95% of all victims of violence, whether women or men, experience that harm at the hands of a man. And men themselves are suffering from poor relationship modelling, outdated attitudes towards their partners or their kids, or a lack of honesty and closeness in their friendships.

This leads to a pressure cooker for many men who want to break the cycle of being ‘perfect’ to simply work on being better. This isn’t about blame. It’s a wake-up call to start these conversations and to recognise our role to play in shifting culture.

This year’s campaign is about taking that first step to being better. For yourself, for your mates, your partner, and your kids. That begins by asking ourselves honest questions, listening with intent, and choosing to do things a little differently. Not to be perfect. But to be more present and lead by example.

It can be as simple as checking in on a mate, calling out a dodgy joke, taking a minute to think before commenting on something that objectifies or belittles someone or donating to White Ribbon Australia’s campaign.

Head to https://whiteribbon.org.au/not-perfect-better/ and check out the Not Perfect, Better toolkit. It’s full of simple advice, thought starters, and stories from men just like you. Because change doesn’t come from being perfect. It comes from choosing to be better, each and every day.