Why young children need mental health assistance. Op-ed by Professor Frank Oberklaid AM and Professor Vicki Anderson.

Published

Wednesday, April 23, 2025 - 12:00 PM

Director of MHiPS, Professor Frank Oberklaid AM, along with his Murdoch Children’s Research Institute colleague Professor Vicki Anderson, have highlighted the urgent need for investment in children’s mental health, in an opinion piece for the Herald Sun.

While Professors Oberklaid and Anderson welcomed recent announcements by Federal Labor and the opposition to significantly strengthen mental health services, they were disappointed by the omission of children from these election commitments. 
 
With one in six Australian children having a mental health condition, Professors Oberklaid and Anderson ask why children are consistently left out of mental health policies.  

“Research further tells us that more than 50 per cent of all adult mental health issues start before the age of 14, with concerns emerging from as young as five years. Problems need to be treated when they first appear. This is more likely to be effective and from a government point of view it makes economic sense,” they wrote. 

They point to the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, launched in 2023, as the roadmap needed to shift the focus on children’s mental health away from treating conditions, to prevention and early intervention.