ASB PUTS FATHERHOOD ON TRIAL

ASB Issues Notice of Complaints with Show Cause Deadline

The Advertising Standards Board (ASB) has issued a notice of complaints and a show cause deadline 4/9/02 to the Fatherhood Foundation. The ASB has received two complaints. The advertisement in question is part of a three part Community Service Advertisement series called ‘My Dad’, to encourage Aussie dads for Father’s Day and beyond. The ASB has the power to make a determination against the showing of the advert and effectively ban further showing of any advertisement they deem to be offensive.

Fatherlessness Epidemic

The ASB has received a complaint on the basis that the child in the advertisement should not infer “you gotta have a dad”‘. The actual message of the ad in question is that dads are important and that “because I tried, I was my dad’s hero”. The Fatherhood Foundation have put the three part advert series featuring children talking about their fathers to air on national TV. The Fatherhood Foundation feel that statistics show that Australia could well be in the middle of a fatherlessness epidemic and have produced a Fatherlessness Fact Sheet which documents the effects of fatherlessness. The Fatherhood Foundation believes that encouragement along with education is the key to improving Aussie dads. The ‘My Dad’ advert series for Father’s Day and beyond is to encourage Aussie dads that they are important to their children and that their children need them.

Nail in the Coffin of Australian Fathers

Warwick Marsh from the Fatherhood Foundation says, “We produced these ads to encourage Aussie dads. We felt these ads were very gentle and low key. We are surprised by the level of controversy surrounding them. The Fatherhood Foundation believes that every child needs a father and a mother. We are supportive of both fathers and mothers. The Fatherhood Foundation is concerned that a ban on the advert is a ban on free speech and another nail in the coffin of Australian fathers”.

Issued 25/8/02

Fatherhood Foundation: http://www.fathersonline.org