NSW Government unveil $111 million boost to mental health supports after Westfield Bondi Junction massacre
Easier access to services and more people to staff them are part of a $111 million NSW mental health funding boost to be announced by the Minns Government, following the Bondi Junction stabbing massacre by a man with known mental health problems this year.
Community mental health teams will receive funding for an additional 35 staff, allowing for better case management and extended hours to provide outreach, including in regional areas.
Patients will be better connected to services through a “front door” model aimed at providing quicker care amid record-high emergency department attendances.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Cracks in the NSW mental health system came to attention in April after 40-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi went on a stabbing rampage through the eastern suburbs Westfield shopping centre.
Six people were killed and more than a dozen others injured, including a nine-month-old baby, in the attack.
He was known to Queensland authorities because of his mental health problems, which police said had declined in recent years. Caauchi was last recorded by Queensland Health for receiving treatment for his mental ill health in 2012 when he started seeing a private psychiatrist.
An extra $18 million has been allocated to a coronial inquiry into the massacre, with a focus on the adequacy of mental health care.
Tuesday’s announcement is an important step in providing increased care, Premier Chris Minns said.
“We know people across the state are doing it tough right now and for many in our community, mental health services are a vital lifeline when they need it most,” he said.
People with persistent mental illness and complex care needs will have support from 25 additional staff providing alternatives to long-term hospital care under a $40 million program over four years.
More than $2 million will go to the Mental Health Review Tribunal to modernise operations and records amid continued growth in patients and proceedings.
More liaisons will be funded to conduct outreach to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to access services and find housing.
People needing mental health support will be able to access assessment advice from specialist clinicians and be connected to relevant services with $39 million over four years aimed at keeping people out of emergency departments.
Mental health brought 124,467 people to EDs last year and about a quarter could have received support from other primary care settings, the government said.
NSW recently notched record-high emergency attendances with more than 810,201 people seeking care in the first quarter of 2024 following falls in the number of general practitioners.
Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said the new funding would help provide care when most needed.
“This is an important step in the NSW government’s approach to mental health support but it is not the final one,” she said, flagging more interventions.
NSW spends $2.7 billion on mental health a year, about half the budget of the state’s police force.
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