A large press pack was in attendance at NSW Parliament House today as Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn presented the final report following the Inquiry into the “Equity, accessibility and appropriate delivery of outpatient and community mental health care in New South Wales.”
Click here to read the report in full.
Dr Cohn was joined by members of the NSW Mental Health Alliance including BEING’s CEO, Priscilla Brice and Judy Deacon, mother of Jesse who was shot dead by police less than a year ago.
The report, including 39 recommendations, will make optimistic reading for many, drawing as it does on a wide range of inputs and pulling no punches about the scale and urgency of required action. Dr Cohn was however critical of the Government’s decision to water down 7 of the recommendations from “actions” to “investigations” which gives the Government more scope to delay their implementation.
BEING broadly supports the recommendations included in the report which address of our key demands for:
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The expansion of the Safe Haven programme
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The removal of the police as the automatic first response to those in crisis and
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The need for a holistic and significant overhaul of the entire mental healthcare system.