Victoria has its first ever Minister for Men and Boys.

Cabinet reshuffles rarely give us this kind of joy or hope. But this one does.

Congratulations to Paul Edbrooke, MP for Frankston, on his appointment as Minister for Men and Boys. Having a dedicated minister was a key recommendation we put directly to Premier Jacinta Allan in 2025. Seeing it happen is a big deal, not just for us, but for every young person we work with.

The real work starts now.

A massive shoutout to Tim Richardson, MP for Mordialloc, for blazing a trail as Parliamentary Secretary for Men’s Health, Wellbeing and Behaviour Change. His curiosity and compassion in that role set the standard.

Victoria isn’t alone

Alongside the appointment of Dan Repacholi, MP for Hunter, as Australia’s first ever federal Special Envoy for Men’s Health, these appointments signal something the evidence has long supported: men and boys need dedicated attention, policy design and funding.

We’re glad the political class is catching up.

The good news doesn’t stop there

A big congratulations to Gabrielle Williams, MP for Dandenong, on becoming the new Minister for Women and Girls. This is the first time this portfolio has expanded to explicitly include girls.

Real gender equity means everyone. This is what that looks like.

We also welcome Luba Grigorovitch, MP for Kororoit, as the new Minister for Youth.

Now we want to see everyone follow suit

We’re committed to working alongside these ministers to make Victoria a national model for what this looks like in practice.

Now we want to see the opposition follow suit. Shadow announcements specifically for boys and girls, in the lead-up to the November election, would signal that this isn’t just one side of politics doing the right thing.

It should be everyone.

These are the days.

Want to bring The Man Cave into your school?

Policy change and on-the-ground programs work best together.

Find out how we’re reaching boys in schools across Victoria and beyond at themancave.life/programs/school-workshops/