Table 1.

Global Themes	Organisational Themes	Basic Themes
Being a Dad	Support	• Be there for your child(ren) • Be involved in your child(ren)’s life • Give your child(ren) direction • Being a protector and provider • Give your child(ren) what you never had–a better life • Being a guide, a teacher, and sharing your wisdom you’ve learned in life
	Challenges	• Increased responsibilities as a parent • Raising daughters can be difficult for a dad especially throughout their pubescent years • Put food on table/pay the bills • Put oneself into a position of financial security • Keeping up with technology is a challenge • We need something for our kids to do–especially after the footy season ends
	Knowledge	• When and where male parents can access the necessary tools to support them in their roles • Finding alternate solutions to engage and support children in the ever-advancing technological age
Employment	Lack of jobs	• Need to have local, appropriate employment opportunities
	Unsuitable work	• Fly in, fly out work (away from home for long periods) • A lot of employment opportunities require numeracy and literacy skills
Cultural and Community Connections	Family and Kinship	• Although I have no kids, I still have a fatherly role • Does not matter what tribe you are from, we are all one • Parenting is not an individual’s job–the whole community is required • Family provide support and give you strength
	Connections	• Being on country is important • Knowing who you are and where you are connected is very important
	Respect	• We need to teach our children respect and we need to teach them culture • Elder’s stories are not being told. We are trying to show our kids the traditional guidelines on how to do things properly
	Role Modelling	• How my father (and uncles) treated me moulded me into the person I have become • Move away from the stereotypical negative narrative. Set a positive example • Normalise the role of a father and uncle in a child’s life • If you treat your child good your child treats their kids equally good • Kids do what their father’s do • Fathers make good role models for their children
Opportunities to participate	Dedicated Men’s Space	• Providing a men’s parent group so we can communicate and share concerns • Having somewhere for men to come together and talk more as fathers • Being able to have a yarn in support sessions about being a dad and what to expect; learning from other dads • Having something (program/space) permanent. Not something that is run a couple hours a week and you go away and that’s it; something every day
	Services/Organisations	• Important for services and organisations to recognise that dads play an integral role in a child’s life–not only mums • Hospital staff to be more respectful and acknowledge the significance of your child being born • There’s a lot of programs for mums and bubs and families–but there is none dedicated to dads • Create culturally appropriate opportunities for men to participate throughout the birthing and parenting process • Understand Aboriginal males deal with a lot of added pressure and expectations (positive and negative) in society • Be more conscious of the way you, as individuals and organisations, interact with Aboriginal men