Sarah Game: One Nation politician dubbed Australia’s ‘Minister for Men’ speaks out against ‘epidemic’ affecting Aussie dads
A One Nation MP who has been pushing for a Minister for Men has spoken out about the alienation of parents from their children and urged the Government to address the issue.
South Australian House of Representatives member Sarah Game addressed the issue in state parliament on Wednesday, which has major implications for divorced and separated fathers.
She wondered why the state government had not recognized the “problem” of parental alienation, before talking to Attorney General Kyam Maher.
“Parental alienation is a widespread problem that has gone unnoticed for far too long,” she began in her speech.
“It is particularly an unrecognized crisis for thousands of South Australian families. Yet the Malinauskas government has yet to acknowledge that the problem exists.”
Sarah Game, a member of the South Australian House of Lords, discussed the topic in state parliament on Wednesday
‘It is a well-documented issue that extends to grandparents and other family members, including anyone who plays a significant role in a child’s upbringing.
“To ignore its existence is to perpetuate family violence.”
Ms Game brought up the Eeny Meeny Miney Mo Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to uniting children with both their parents and combating parental alienation.
She claimed that the foundation had tried to contact the attorney general’s office for assistance and asked Mr. Mayer why his office had not responded.
Mr Mayer noted the issue is a federal focus of One Nation and party leader Pauline Hanson, before firing back at Ms Game.
He denied claims that several women “used criminal processes and the family court to alienate children from their parents.”
The attorney general then focused on the Eeny Meeny Miney Mo Foundation investigation.
He said that while he had “similar views on parental alienation,” he had issues with the organization referring to the “female DV industry” in its correspondence.
“When I hear that kind of language that tries to downplay and minimize the impact of domestic violence on women and survivors, it’s often a red flag for people’s opinions,” he said.
“When people use language like the ‘female DV industry’ to belittle and trivialize, I think it says a lot about the rest of the views that a lot of people have.”
Ms. Game followed this up by asking if Mr. Mayer was aware that the organization was founded by a woman who had been estranged from her own children by her father.
“When I receive correspondence denigrating the lived experience of survivors and victims of domestic violence as language like the ‘female DV industry,’ I think it says a lot,” he responded.
South Australian Attorney General Kyam Maher (pictured) debunked claims that several women ‘used the family court to alienate children from their parents’
South Australian One Nation MP Sarah Game (pictured) spoke about parental alienation and called on the government to debate the issue in state parliament
Ms. Game later denounced his response in a post she shared on Facebook about the interaction.
“The Attorney General is not interested in the voices of those who are estranged from their children,” she wrote.
‘Parental alienation is real and widespread and affects the mental well-being of children, parents and other family members.’
Amanda Sillars, CEO of the Eeny Meeny Miney Mo Foundation, also criticized Mr Mayer for his response to her organization in a statement addressed to him.
“My main complaint stems from the reduction of my email to a single sentence and the apparent mischaracterization of the content for public consumption,” she wrote.
“This has not only upset me personally, but has also cast an unfavorable light on the organization I represent.”
“I would like to emphasize my continued commitment to addressing issues related to violence against women. It is striking that a significant number of the people we help are mothers who feel alienated from their children.’
Ms. Sillars provided her own personal history with parental alienation before asking the Attorney General for an apology.
“I respectfully request a public apology and seek the opportunity to meet with you and your representatives to further address these concerns,” she said.
‘The purpose of my email was not to deny or in any way downplay the existence of domestic violence against women, but to draw attention to the experiences of children and parents who are victims of alienating behavior and coercive control of children.’