Email campaign
 
Supported by the Fatherhood and Families Movement
Dads In Distress, Lone Fathers Association, www.Fathers4Familes.com.au,  (Fathers4Equality), Fatherhood Foundation, Non Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting), www.DadsOnTheAir.net and the Shared Parenting Council of Australia.
 
Kids need families and families need dads.
Dad is often the forgotten parent… Because he’s the strong-but-silent one, because he’s working very long hours, or perhaps because he’s the non-custodial parent struggling to keep in-touch with his kids.
 
Father’s Day is the time to remember the man who is half of who we are, who was sometimes grumpy only because the man who worked long hours to support his family. He needed rest when we wanted to play. Remember the man who protected us, the man who made the big decisions, the man who made us who we are, who we love even if we rarely tell him how much we need him. Our dad.
 
The best place for children is with both their natural parents, but with divorce rates tipped to reach 50%, sadly too many kids end up living in struggling single-parent households and missing out on their dads.
 
The Australian Institute of Family Studies agrees. “Children from single-parent families overall fare less well than children from intact two-parent families.” Is their judgment after reviewing many studies in Family structure, child outcomes and environmental mediators. They also report that “'children from separated families typically have between one-and-a-half times to double the risk of an adverse outcome compared with children from intact original families.” In other words, kids need both parents!
 
Children miss out
Sadly, too often after a divorce, the kids loose a loving parent. According to the Family Court, 97.5% of kids have a parent forced out of their lives by the divorce court. Some are bad, but most are good parents, fighting in court for the privilege and joy of caring for their kids.
 
This Fathers Day, we ask all Australians who support families to write a short message to our Federal politicians to tell them that we support families and dads and a child’s right to both their natural parents! Go to www.Fathers4Families.org.au for a simple way to do this.
 
Father’s Day is a celebration of love. But it is a tragic time too. Suicide rates peak each year on Fathers Day, with divorced dads struggling with the loss of their kids. Tony Miller, the founder and director of Dads in Distress says “Each year we receive calls from desperate dads, close to suicide, lonely and missing their kids.” He says.
“We can help many, but many don’t ask for help… and some of these dads end up as statistics. More men suicide than everybody killed on the road.”
 
John Flanagan of the Non-Custodial Parents Party (EQUAL PARENTING) agrees. “So often we are told that men are either unimportant, or totally evil. For example the current TV ‘violence against women’ campaign is targeted at hurting fathers. The TV ads are scheduled to culminate on Fathers Day, Christmas and Easter – the three fatherhood and family celebrations each year.” John asks if these are designed to hurt dads, instead of reducing violence.
 
Barry Williams from the Lone Fathers Association hopes that “all fathers who are seeing their kids this Father’s Day appreciate how lucky they are.” He asks that those “good dads who have been forced out of their families to hold onto hope. Lone Fathers and the other Fatherhood and Families groups will not stop until dads are treated fairly.” Barry adds “Dads who are struggling this Father’s Day should Feel free to ring Lone Fathers or Dads In Distress.”
 
Happily married Warwick Marsh from the Fatherhood Foundation understands the stresses families face. “There are so many pressures on modern families that encourage divorce, and few things to encourage marriage. There are no policies to support work-life balance for fathers. There are tax and welfare disincentives that encourage divorce and discourage marriage. The divorce court is biased and too often kids lose one of their parents…”  
 
Wayne Butler Secretary of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia, says "There have been some great improvements in the Family Law Act, which are making a real difference. Sadly these fall short of treating fathers and mothers as equal." He adds however "Many groups are working hard to make the system fairer and to protect children's rights to know and have a meaningful relationship with both their natural parents. On Fathers day, it is particularly difficult for Dads who do not see their children and the Council restates it’s commitment to making further changes in the legislation that facilitate and ensure on going contact arrangements as are appropriate."
 
With an later this year, part-time parent James Adams from Fathers4Families.org.au (and Fathers4Equality) says now is the time we can ask our government to support families.
 
“We’ve never had such low marriage rates and such high divorce rates. So many children growing up in struggling single parent households,” James says. “We need to support children and encourage marriage to protect children’s right to both their natural parents.” Men have worked out what’s going on he says “many women can’t find a good man to commit because many men are on a marriage strike. Divorce is unfair against kids and dads, so young men are refusing to go there and commit.” James says.
 
“This email campaign can make a difference in children’s lives! Asking our politicians to make real commitments to reverse this dangerous and tragic situation. Our kids deserve the best, and our government can do so much to protect marriage and children’s right to both their natural parents and families.” The petition is available on www.fathers4Families.org.au.
 
 
A parent’s love is the greatest love of all
Families need fathers
www.fathers4Families.org.au.
 
For more information contact
James ADAMS 0417 258 364 Fathers4Families.org.au
Warwick Marsh 0418 225 212 Fatherhood Foundation
Barry Williams 0417 668 802 Lone Fathers Association  
Tony Miller 0422 105 855  Dads in Distress
John Flanagan 0415 899 574 NCPP (Equal Parenting) Party
Wayne Butler 0411 850 677 SPCA

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