People expect a lot from their politicians. And as an Australian myself, I know we are no exception.

We want our pollies smart but relatable, tough but decent, available around the clock and somehow untouched by the public abuse and tribal warfare that comes with the job. We publicly declare “open season” on their “kind”, look down when they compromise, and send them and their families threats and harassment online. We decry their power and influence but most of us would never want to do the job ourselves.  

And who would serve under these conditions? In 2024, the Australian Federal Police reported that threats and harassment against federal parliamentarians had almost doubled to 1009 in two years.

When being an elected official comes at such a personal price, it’s democracy that suffers.

On November 23 this year, UK podcaster and longtime political strategist Alastair Campbell will join us in Parliament House to launch Fit to Lead: The Better Politics Australia Study, the biggest exploration of Australian politicians’ mental wellbeing ever conducted. Almost 300 local, state and federal leaders participated and the study results tell us about what it's like inside the system and what needs to change. In November, we’ll probe potentially uncomfortable questions: is the problem with politics always the politicians, or does some of the problem lie in the culture that we build around them?

Campbell has seen that culture in the UK from just about every angle: at the centre of Tony Blair’s government, through his own very open struggles with mental health while in office and now as co-host of the internationally acclaimed political podcast The Rest Is Politics.

Fit to Lead’s early findings are confronting: two-thirds of responding federal, state and local politicians say being in public office has harmed their mental wellbeing.

Almost three-quarters of state and federal parliamentarians say parliament is worse than other workplaces they have experienced.

Nine in ten believe more needs to be done to support politicians’ mental wellbeing.

The easy reaction is, well politics is a tough business, nobody forces anyone to run for office, and Australians and the press are entitled to scrutinise the people they elect. These statements are all true. But they miss the point. 

The culture around politics directly affects who puts their hand up, who stays, how people behave once they get there and ultimately how well our governments perform for us. If the price of entering public life is relentless abuse of you and your family, impossible hours and low wellbeing, we can hardly be surprised if talented people decide they prefer to contribute elsewhere.    

This does not mean going “easy” on politicians or making politics less robust and accountable. Democracy depends on disagreement. Politicians should argue fiercely about ideas, priorities and the future of the country. But the work conditions in which they do this are no longer fit for purpose.

I’m very proud of the partnership between the Better Politics Foundation and McKinnon. We believe this study has the ability to push concrete, lasting change in political life. Some of that needs to be institutional: altering the ways political parties, parliaments, offices and the press gallery operate. Some will require politicians themselves to challenge behaviours that have become accepted simply because “that’s politics”. It also pushes for honesty about how toxic parts of Australian political culture and conversation are and how that directly threatens our democracy. And for that cultural shift to happen, we all need to play our part.   

Australia is starting from a stronger position than many comparable democracies. An alliance of organisations inside and outside politics have already come together around this study to improve our political culture. This gives us the opportunity to act now, before some of the deep fractures we have seen overseas become entrenched here.  

If we want a better Australia, we need better politics. If we want better politics, we need to change what it means to be a politician.  

Kimberly McArthur is the CEO of the Better Politics Foundation, partnering with McKinnon to launch the ‘Fit To Lead’ Better Politics Australia Study this 23 November at Parliament House in Canberra.