18/06/2026
How Many More Young People Have To Be Lost Before We See Real Change?
Today, the stories of Kate Savage and Hailee Hildebrandt are once again forcing Western Australia to confront some uncomfortable truths.
Two young lives.
Two devastated families.
Two mothers who have spoken publicly about what they believe were systemic failures within a mental health system that was supposed to protect their daughters.
Following Kate’s death in 2020, a review identified significant shortcomings in child and adolescent mental health services and led to 32 recommendations for reform. This week, the Auditor General reported that only one recommendation has been fully implemented.
More recently, Hailee’s mother has bravely shared her family’s experience after losing her daughter just hours after she was released from a mental health ward. Rather than sympathy, she has called for accountability, answers, and systemic change.
As a mental health professional working with children, adolescents, and families, these stories are heartbreaking.
Not because they are isolated tragedies.
But because they highlight concerns that families, clinicians, educators, and advocates have been raising for years.
We continue to hear about:
• Young people waiting for support
• Families fighting to be heard
• Services stretched beyond capacity
• Crisis-driven responses instead of early intervention
• Promised reforms moving too slowly while demand continues to grow
These are not political issues.
These are human issues.
Behind every report, recommendation, statistic, and inquiry is a child, a teenager, a family, and a future that matters.
Kate mattered.
Hailee mattered.
Every young person we’ve lost mattered.
And every young person currently struggling with their mental health matters.
Real reform is not measured by promises made.
It is measured by whether young people can access the support they need when they need it, before a crisis becomes a tragedy.
Western Australia can do better.
Our young people deserve better.
If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available through
Lifeline Australia (13 11 14),
Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800),
or emergency services if there is immediate risk 000
