Are fathers missing in action in today's families?

Fourth, around the western world, we need to get and retain men in teaching , especially at the peak of their careers (around 25 to 35 years). Child education experts have urged the need for men in early stages of learning .

To get men involved in education will take an enormous effort, as many males get the message 'school is not for me'. Teaching becomes a 'no man's land'. And to keep men in teaching we will need to raise teachers' salaries and working conditions significantly.

Last, it's worrying looking at the Fly in, Fly Out dads and wondering how they can be effective parents when they aren't around most days for their kids. But this isn't the first generation of kids not to see their dad at breakfast. Some men I've interviewed talked of their time as boys of eight or nine. Their dads were shearers and instructed their son how to be 'the man of the house' till Dad got back. Many of us had dads absent in wartime. Maybe the mining companies could usefully provide workshops for their workers, in how to act as a father long-distance. Phones, Skyping, and email could all play a part.

In sum, Mr Andrews challenges us males to be better dads and grand-dads. And for our society to acknowledge the importance of fathers in families. We need to show more confidence in fathers to do their job and not pay incautious attention to accusations without evidence. Changed as they are, and in all their variety, families are still a crucial building-arch for every society we know. And fathers are the keystone.