George has given me a true perspective on life, just by holding him life's ‘problems' seem irrelevant. The impact that I have on George as his sole parent inspires me to be the best person I can be.

There's a lot of focus on shifting gender roles. Though the dialog seems to focus on the female point of view, male gender equality has also moved ahead in leaps and bounds.

This Father's Day we want to recognise the progressive dad's out there. And, we didn't have to look far to find some ripper examples from our TAFE NSW graduates…

The Single Dad

Craig, Early Childhood Education and Care graduate

I come from a large family and couldn't imagine my life without a child in it.

When I came out at seventeen I was kicked out of home and disowned. Yet, the worst thing about accepting that I was gay was the thought of being childless. I struggled to accept my situation. But instead of letting life defeat me I was motivated to become financially secure so that I could pay for surrogacy.

At thirty four my dream of starting a family became reality with the birth of my son, George.

The best thing about being George's Dad is being his comfort; he is my biggest fan. When he's sick or scared I hold him on my chest and feel him immediately relax. There's no place that George feels safer and that's such an honour.

I love being the one to teach my son how to navigate the world and rescuing him up when he's hurt. I adore seeing the people I care about fall in love with him. I catch myself laughing at George's ability to melt the hearts of friends who don't consider themselves "kid people".

George has given me a true perspective on life, just by holding him life's ‘problems' seem irrelevant. The impact that I have on George as his sole parent inspires me to be the best person I can be.

The gay community have been incredibly supportive. Some of the best parents I have met have been gay. We're an active and loving community that takes parenting very seriously. Most of us have arrived at parenthood through enormous struggle and sacrifice, so it's not something we take for granted.

I realise that some people might judge me for not giving George a mother. But after reflecting on my own childhood I strongly believe that having just one parent providing unconditional love is more than enough.

Love conquers hate and I am confident George will be just fine.

Paternity Leave

Daniel, Web Media graduate

Family has always been the most important thing to me and I am excited to be starting a family of my own.

The first thing I did when I found out my wife was pregnant was to explore my leave options. I am lucky enough to work for a progressive company that offers paid paternity leave for fathers, as well as mothers.

My wife and I are both career driven. We have a fifty/fifty relationship so it only seemed fair that we split the childcare responsibility too. Sharing the load means that we can both get back to work sooner, and get equal bonding time with our daughter in her first year.

I think it's important for both parents to be present and share the responsibility that comes with raising a child. It's a big job and we will both need all the emotional support we can get to develop a more balanced little human.

Plus, I think my wife drew the short straw. When I am off with our little girl she will be at a more alert age (nine months old). I will get to do all the fun stuff with her! First steps, first words and all the adventures that come with a more inquisitive baby.

2016 dad's, not only is your parenting a breath of fresh air; you are setting a wonderful example for future generations.

Happy Father's Day.