(DIR) Home
Mother of Bondi Junction stabbing victim calls for better critical
mental health care amid service gap 'crisis'
(HTM) Source
----------------------------------------------------------------------
## In short:
Mental health advocates have called on state, territory and federal
governments to align their responses to complex mental health care.
Elizabeth Young said her interstate family members struggled to find
help and support following the Bondi Junction mass stabbing in April.
Independent MP Allegra Spender described mental health
responsibilities as a "patchwork" split between different governments.
The mother of Bondi Junction stabbing victim Jade Young has called for
a national approach to mental health access and trauma care after her
family's experience following the "horror" attack.
Elizabeth Young pleaded for state and federal government to address
gaps in complex mental health reform and funding, that places the
burden on patients to **** source their own support.
## If you or anyone you know needs help:
* Lifeline on 131 114
* Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
* Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
* NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511
* Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
* MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
* Headspace on 1800 650 890
* ReachOut
* Emergency services on triple-0 if you need immediate care
In April, Joel Cauchi fatally stabbed six people and seriously injured
several others inside the Westfield shopping centre in Sydney's
eastern suburbs.
Ms Young described her architect daughter as a "loved wife and loved
mother of two young girls".
She said there was inconsistency in how her loved ones received
support across the country following her death.
Her family members in New South Wales were given "unconditional
support" through specialist mental health practitioners but "not all
of us have been so fortunate".
"Our son PJ who lives in Tasmania with his family, received no such
treatment," she said.
He had to navigate finding his own specialist support out-of-pocket
after the "sole Hobart provider did not return their calls".
Jade Young, 47, was fatally stabbed at Westfield Bondi Junction on
Saturday, April 13, 2024.(Supplied: NSW Police)
It took six weeks before he was able to speak to a psychologist, while
his young children are yet to see a specialist trauma child
psychologist for the first time.
"Please, in the long shadow of the horror of Jade's death, I beg you
... actually do something about the discrepancies, the disparities,
the inconsistencies in current mental health funding and management,"
Ms Young said.
"Find the courage to work together ... we need a coordinated national
approach to mental health care so that no matter where you live, you
should be able to receive the care you need.
"Australia's mental health system is in crisis and now is the time to
act."
The Tasmanian government told ABC News it had dedicated $410 million
over the past decade to deliver a "contemporary and accessible state-
wide model of public mental health care".
"With this investment, we are employing more people than ever before
in our Statewide Mental Health Services — with an increase of over 197
[full time employees] in the last four years alone," a spokesperson
said.
The funding has also gone towards a public phone line staffed by
clinicians and walk-in mental health support services.
## Mental health response a 'patchwork'
Independent MP Allegra Spender called for long-term funding and reform
between state, territories and federal governments.
The member for Wentworth, whose electorate includes Bondi Junction,
said her community was still reeling from the attack.
Ms Spender said Mr Cauchi had a long-term mental health condition, and
that he was not the first person to have "ended up in the terrible
tragedy that has occurred".
"Mental health is both about looking after us but also about safety,
and a key message from today was also about investment in prevention,"
she said.
Allegra Spender says more investment is needed for mental health
crisis prevention. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)
"If we can get in early, and if we can address the needs as they're
becoming more complex, then we have a chance of minimising the sort of
tragedy that we have seen in Bondi Junction."
A report from NSW Health in May found a nearly 30 per cent shortfall
in service capacity for people with severe and complex mental health
needs.
In NSW, that equated to 58,000 people who cannot access the care they
need, but Ms Spender said that figure was closer to 170,000
nationwide.
"People aren't just falling through the cracks, they're falling
through the chasms of mental health support," Ms Spender said.
"What people are asking for is consistent care, care that they can
rely on, care that is going to be there in the long term, not just a
moment in time and then hard to access at different points," Ms
Spender said.
Allegra Spender says the community is still reeling from the tragedy
in April.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)
She said the breakdown came from differing responsibilities between
state and federal governments.
"The federal government funds the GPs, the state government funds the
hospitals, we have Headspace which is federally funded — it's a bit of
a patchwork," she said.
"I have heard time and time again of people who have gone into
hospital and then got out again, and not being able to get the support
that they need in the community."
National Mental Health Commissioner Kerry Hawkins said that hundreds
of thousands of Australians were living in "quiet despair" that was
leading to emotional, physical and financial exhaustion.
"This is, above all, a human rights issue that we need to attend to,
and I look forward to the day when that is foregrounded in these
conversations," Ms Hawkins said.
______________________________________________________________________
Served by Flask-Gopher/2.2.1