Getting to the Roots of Men's Violence in Australia - Tarang Chawla

Tarang Chawla knows firsthand the devastating impacts of men’s violence, and the ripple effects it sends through families and communities – including on other boys and men. This is what led him to set up Not One More Niki, in memory of his younger sister Nikita who was murdered by her partner in 2015. Tarang is one of Australia’s most well-known and outspoken male advocates against gender-based violence. He talks to us about where he thinks Australian society needs to go from here in its efforts to end men’s violence against women, after a year in which a series of terrible murders brought this onto the agenda in a way not seen before. 

We also discuss the position of gender equality and masculinity in the upcoming Australian federal election, including on issues such as ‘law and order’; coming to terms with racism and colonialism in Australia and the UK; and why understanding boys’ and men’s experiences of race and class can help us to reach out to them more meaningfully. 

Tarang is an award-winning speaker, writer, advocate, and recovering lawyer. Among other things, he is a Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission, and a sessional academic at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. He also wrote, produced and hosted the first two series of the acclaimed podcast There's No Place Like Home.

• Tarang’s website: https://tarangchawla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarangchawla
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarangchawla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarangchawlaonline
• Not One More Niki: https://www.instagram.com/notonemoreniki
• There’s No Place Like Home: https://www.futurewomen.com/theresnoplacelikehome/

Episode timeline

• Intro and acknowledgement of country
• Tarang’s journey into working to end men’s violence against women (03:17-06:28)
• Media portrayals of men who use violence (06:28-10:49)
• Talking about the ripple effects of men’s violence (10:49-14:04)
• The obstacles of masculine expectations (14:04-16:15)
• Men’s experiences of child sexual abuse (16:15-21:30)
• Being a spokesperson on these issues as a man (21:30-27:42)
• Break
• The impact of recent high-profile murders of Australian women (27:53-32:17)
• Debates about prevention work in Australia (32:17-36:35)
• Masculinity in the upcoming Australian election (36:35-39:09)
• Discourses about being ‘tough on crime’ (39:09-43:00)
• The pushback against equity and diversity initiatives (43:00-46:06)
• Racism in Australia (46:06-49:12)
• Understanding men and boys’ own experiences of marginalisation (49:12-54:43)
• Conclusion [Addressing sexism and racism simultaneously; Punitive responses to crime; Coming to the terms with British colonialism] (56:06-01:02:09)

More info

• “Earlier this month, it was announced that former AFL player Ben Cousins will join the Seven Network’s commentary team” https://www.smh.com.au/national/ben-cousins-new-tv-job-is-offensive-to-women-20250314-p5ljni.html
• “Locking up young people might make you feel safer but it doesn’t work, now or in the long term” https://theconversation.com/locking-up-young-people-might-make-you-feel-safer-but-it-doesnt-work-now-or-in-the-long-term-237742  
• “Who is the new leader of the Liberal party Peter Dutton?” https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/who-is-the-new-leader-of-the-liberal-party-peter-dutton/vwj0p6nyy
• “Voice referendum normalised racism towards Indigenous Australians, report finds” https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/06/voice-referendum-normalised-racism-towards-indigenous-australians-report-finds

Thank you to Dom Stichbury and Chaps Choir for providing our new music with their song 'Now is time' https://www.facebook.com/ChapsChoir/