Better Politics Study Australia 2026
The Better Politics Foundation and Demos Australia, in collaboration with Compassion in Politics Australia and Professor Patrick McGorry, have conducted a study into the modern day experience of being an Australian politician.​
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The survey closed on 1st March 2026 and Demos AU has confirmed that 289 elected representatives across local, state and federal levels of government have participated in the study. To our knowledge, this makes it the largest study conducted on the mental health and wellbeing of politicians in Australia.​​
📰In the news
Mental health in political life vital to democracy
Ruth Forrest, Legislative Council of Tasmania
Building civility and reason in politics
Dr David Meacheam, Tasmanian Councillor
Next Steps
The Better Politics Foundation is now working with Demos AU, the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) and Orygen to analyze the data. The survey results will be shared with our MP Champions and then released publicly over the coming months, culminating in the final study launch in the Federal Parliament House in Canberra.
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A coalition alliance of study Champions, sitting parliamentarians, government bodies and leading experts in mental health and wellbeing will be amplifying the study research and looking at how we turn the results into practical, on-the-ground change. If you would like to support or get involved, see the contact us section at the bottom of the page.
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Better Politics Australia 2026 was motivated by the Better Politics Mere Mortals study in 2023 and subsequent surveys conducted in the UK and Ireland, motivating these two investigative documentaries on the BBC and RTÉ:
The Opportunity
The mental wellbeing of politicians isn’t a private issue — it’s a public one. When leaders are exhausted, threatened or unsupported, decision-making suffers, polarization deepens, and our democracies weaken. We need leaders who are equipped to respond to crises and opportunities with clarity, empathy and courage.
Healthy leaders make for a healthier democracy.
Australia already stands on a strong democratic foundation— ranking 2nd out of 10 countries in the 2025 Better Politics Index. With growing public interest in this work, Australia is uniquely positioned to set a global standard in addressing one of the most defining challenges to democracies around the world. ​
Initial Study Insights
13%
Federal
44%
State
42%
Local
Respondents
Look out for the pre-releases of insights from the Better Politics Study: Australia from March 2026.​​
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This work matters because stronger political wellbeing strengthens our democracy — and it will take many of us to make that possible.
You can contribute by:
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Sharing and amplifying the findings to build momentum and awareness.
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Supporting implementation, from developing resources to piloting solutions.
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Joining cross-sector working groups to turn insights into action.
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Providing funding or in-kind support to scale the impact.​​
Champions
The project is gaining continuous momentum, with a rapidly expanding coalition alliance of champions—sitting parliamentarians, government bodies, and leading experts in mental health and wellbeing—all personally invested in amplifying the research and turning its insights into action.
Allegra Spender MP
Member for Wentworth, House of Representatives
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"Integrity and good governance protects communities from poor leadership."
Cr Connie Boglis OAM
Councillor, Victoria
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"Effective governance is driven by good faith actions and focusing on advancing community interests, without sacrificing our values."
Cr Dr David Meacham
Councillor, Tasmania
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Helen Haines MP
Member for Indi, House of Representatives
Koby Shetty MP
Member for Balmain, NSW Legislative Assembly
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"Strong leadership is built on mental conditioning and integrity. When your actions align with your values, clarity happens."
Lisa Munday MLA
MLA Member for Dawesville, Legislative Assembly for Western Australia. B.Sc (Paramedicine); B.Psych (Hons.)
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"Mental health is as important as physical health. Know yourself so that you can help others."
Maria Vamvakinou
Former Member of House of Representatives
Professor Patrick McGorry OAM
Orygen, University of Melbourne
"Leaders who prioritize their own wellbeing make clearer decisions, respond to challenges with clarity and good judgment, and govern with genuine empathy."
Ruth Forrest MLC
Deputy President, Legislative Council of Tasmania
"I worked as a FIFO sparky before entering Parliament. Same person, different uniform. It's important to remember we're real people behind every public role. "
Stuart Aubrey MLA
Member for Scarborough, Western Australia Legislative Assembly
"Such differing perceptions across my two professions: respected as a Paramedic, and then so often dehumanized as a politician. And yet it's the same me! "
Jess Smith
Deputy Mayor and Paramedic, Mandurah, Western Australia
Amber Kearns
Mayor of the City of Mandurah, Western Australia
"I worked as a FIFO sparky before entering Parliament. Same person, different uniform. It's important to remember we're real people behind every public role. "
Hon. Jacquie Petrusma MP
Speaker of the House of Assembly, Parliament of Tasmania
"Such differing perceptions across my two professions: respected as a Paramedic, and then so often dehumanized as a politician. And yet it's the same me! "
Michelle Cowan
Councillor for Wodonga, State of Victoria
Jade Benham MP
Member for Mildura, Legislative Assembly for Victoria
Partner Organizations
Looking Ahead
Nov 2025 - Mar 2026
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Recruitment and consultations with our Champions and partner organizations.
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Survey data analysis.
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1 March 2026 - Survey closes.
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16 March 2026 - First public release of early data findings.
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Discussions with partners on how to apply survey results to concrete changes in Australian political life.
Mar - Jun 2026
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Develop concrete Action Plan for reform proposals with Champions and partners on Federal, State and Local levels.
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April 2026 - Second public release of data findings.
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Date TBC - Full study launch in Canberra joined by mental wellbeing experts and political leaders across all levels of governance.
Jun - Dec 2026
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In collaboration with State and Local Champions and partners, host Local and State launches including proposals for concrete reforms.
Be part of this groundbreaking work.
It will take a joint effort to make change possible.
We'd love to hear from you. You can contact us at:
Kimberly McArthur - kimberly@betterpolitics.foundation
Daniel Tetlow - daniel@betterpolitics.foundation