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CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

DimitySenior Contributor05 June 2025, 11:25 am AEST

CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

The NSW government minister responsible admits she knows the system is in crisis. But her figures don't add up.

And paying psychiatrists more to achieve parity with other states is only the start. Closed beds and wards need to be reopened and the desperate need for community care that has been promised yet missing since major psychiatric hospitals closed in the 1980s has to be addressed. Walk-in clinics for one-off care are not the answer here, nor are they the answer in other states.

There must be a proper needs analysis across the sector and a comprehensive program budgeting approach rather than cherrypicking projects for their public relations impact.

The intersectionality of mental health with other needs for social services like housing and justice and child welfare and closing the gap must also be recognised and addressed.

Ultimately it's a human rights issue.

Background: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-05/four-corners-nsw-mental-health-emergency-department-rose-jackson/105376034?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other

4 replies

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In response to: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

tymeModerator05 June 2025, 11:33 am AEST

Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

I'll be looking into this @Dimity . Thanks for sharing.

In response to: Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

AppleblossomSenior Contributor05 June 2025, 12:55 pm AEST

Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

Hearing you about cherry picking issues for PR. @Dimity @Dimity

In response to: Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

BowSenior Contributor05 June 2025, 2:09 pm AEST

Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

Puts you off seeking support when you really need it. And then terrible things happen as a result

In response to: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

chibamSenior Contributor05 June 2025, 5:19 pm AEST

Re: CrisIs : NSW government disconnect on mental health

@Dimity @tyme @Appleblossom @Bow

You know, the other night, I sat down and watched the 4 Corners episode on this, and I just couldn't help but roar with laughter at the rediculously ironic end to it.

50 minutes of being told that the NSW mental health system is broken. That it's failing patients by the droves. That if you turn to it for help, you'll end up sitting in a waiting room for about 4 straight days, only to eventually probably be sent home (if you have one!) without getting anything near the help you actually need.

How does the episode end? With a standard scripted PSA proclaiming that: "If your in crisis, there is help available!", followed by standard array of helpline numbers.

I know the ABC is probably under some government regulation that forced them to tack that PSA onto the end of a show that deals with mental illness and suicide. But my god, do they even hear themselves?

It's getting impossible to tell satire from reality these days.

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