The wellbeing of our elected representatives should not be hidden, if they are struggling then decision-making suffers.
Politics is demanding work. Not just intellectually, but emotionally, psychologically, and personally. The pressures on elected representatives – at every level – are relentless: public scrutiny, difficult decisions, adversarial debate, and the ever-present weight of responsibility for outcomes that affect real lives. And yet, the mental health of politicians has been treated as a private matter, a weakness to be hidden rather than a reality to be acknowledged and supported.
I believe the opposite is true. The mental wellbeing of our elected representatives is not something that should not be invisible. Because when leaders are exhausted, threatened, or unsupported, the consequences extend far beyond the individual. Decision-making suffers. Polarisation deepens, potentially weakening our democracy.
Good decision-making demands clarity of thought – the ability to weigh complex evidence without distortion. It demands emotional regulation – the capacity to remain measured under pressure, to resist reactive or punitive impulses, and to respond to a crisis rather than simply react to it. It demands empathy – the genuine ability to understand how a policy will land in the lives of real people. None of these qualities emerge reliably from a mind under sustained, unmanaged stress. A leader who is burning out, or silently struggling, is not a leader operating at their best. And in public life, that gap between potential and performance is not merely personal – it has consequences for every person they represent.
Nations and states thrive when their leaders think clearly, listen deeply, and respond thoughtfully. When they do not, when decisions are driven by anxiety, exhaustion, or unresolved distress, the results can be seen in policy failures, institutional dysfunction, and a political culture that prioritises conflict over resolution.
Politicians are expected to project strength at all times. Admitting to struggle or seeking professional help is still too often perceived as vulnerability, and vulnerability in political life can be exploited. Whilst attitudes are changing, the lived reality can still be negative, particularly in the world of politics.
This is one of the most troubling dimensions of the problem. The stigma that remains surrounding mental health does not just discourage people from seeking help – it actively enables that stigma to be weaponised. A politician’s past mental health history, or their decision to seek counselling or treatment, can be used by others to cast doubt on their fitness for office. It can surface in whisper campaigns, in pointed questions during election campaigns, or in media narratives that equate a history of mental illness with incapacity. The message sent to every person watching is clear and deeply damaging: if you have ever struggled, you do not belong here.
The consequence is two-fold. First, those already in public life learn to suffer in silence, foregoing support that could genuinely help them, and by extension, the people they serve. Second, and perhaps more significantly, people with a lived experience of mental ill-health are deterred from standing for public office in the first place. We lose their
insight, their empathy, and their hard-won resilience. We lose exactly the kind of people whose experience could make our parliaments more human, and our policies more grounded in reality.
This is why the work of the Better Politics Foundation matters so much. The non-partisan Foundation has spent five years researching hostility and wellbeing in political life across the US, UK, Ireland, and now Australia. Its central argument is one I share wholeheartedly: the mental wellbeing of politicians is an important matter, and we need leaders who are equipped to respond to crises and opportunities with clarity, empathy, and courage.
In Australia, the Better Politics Study is supported at the federal level by Speaker of the House Milton Dick, and MPs Allegra Spender and Helen Haines. At the state level, I am proud to serve as a champion alongside Local Government representative David Meacheam, with the study supported by Professor Patrick McGorry OAM – one of Australia’s foremost mental health advocates. Our shared goal is to improve the tone of political life at all levels, and to build genuine support structures for elected representatives and their staff.
More than 280 Australian politicians have already responded to the Foundation’s survey – a far stronger response rate than any other country studied so far. That is an encouraging sign. It tells me the appetite for this conversation is real. The mental health survey is now closed and it is hoped the results of the survey will be relevant to the day-to-day political culture on the ground in Tasmania. For elected representatives interested in more detail, they can register support on the website: https://www.betterpolitics.foundation/better-politics-study-australia.
The survey results will be launched in all six States with opportunities for ongoing engagement.
From early results from the survey, it is clear that we will not improve our democracy by pretending its participants are immune to human struggle. We will improve it by creating a political culture where seeking help is understood as a sign of self-awareness and strength – not a liability to be exploited. Where the qualities forged through adversity are valued, not used as weapons. Where the people making decisions on behalf of all of us are genuinely supported to do so with clear minds, steady judgment, and open hearts.
Good governance requires psychological strength as much as political strength. The time to take that seriously is now.