Fatherhood has been identified as a key life stage to engage men in discussions about their mental health, use of violence and aspirations in caring responsibilities.
The Fathering Summit, hosted on Thursday in Sydney, brought together experts, MPs and advocates to discuss mental health, healthy masculinity and raising boys.
Federal MP Dan Repacholi shared that when he took on the role of Australia's first special envoy for men's health, it was a double-edged sword.
While he is passionate about his work, the demanding nature of the job of a politician coupled with the special envoy role has reduced the amount of time he can spend with his wife and young daughters.
"Fathers today are engaged, they genuinely care, they want to be present in their kids' lives," he said in a keynote address to the summit.
"But at the same time, a lot of fathers still feel held back, not because they don't want to step up, but because the system around them hasn't quite caught up yet."
Mr Repacholi said dads were too often treated as being on the sidelines, rather than being active parents.
"Fatherhood is one of the best chances we have to engage in men early, where men are more likely to show up, ask a few questions and actually connect with some services," he said.
"If we support fathers early, we get better outcomes right across the board, for men and their partners and their kids."
A recent report by the Fathering Project on the state of the world's fathers found Australian dads are being held back by entrenched gender norms, financial pressures, and systems that limit how much they can be part of the daily care of their children.
The report also found barriers to fathers’ caregiving were not only related to societal attitudes but structures such as workplaces, policies and systems.
Almost half of fathers surveyed in the report said they struggled to balance their job with familial care responsibilities.
The role of online spaces and social media in shaping young boys' understandings of manhood was also a key discussion point of the summit.
For children and young people, there was often no clear line between what was online and offline, the eSafety Commission's children, youth and families director Gulsum Adas said.
"Risks and benefits are intertwined, the same platform that provides connection can also become a site of coercion or control when relationships become unsafe," she said.
NSW Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said fatherhood was often a key intervention point for services to engage men who use violence.
"Many men, when they first become fathers, that might be when they really lean in and engage with services ... but it's also a moment when men are much more open to change," she said.
"The desire to be a good dad can motivate men who are using violence to change much more than anything else."
