‘Risk’ patients lack support
A leading Gold Coast psychiatrist has weighed in on the Bondi stabbing rampage, saying more accommodation is needed in the community to house psychiatric patients “who can be a risk to themselves and the community”.
Dr Philip Morris, president of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists and the Gold Coast Medical Association, said many patients who in previously decades would have been housed in mental hospitals were forced to live in hostels or on the street after the closure of appropriate facilities and the withdrawal of funding in recent decades.
Speaking days after Joel Cauchi murdered six people at the Bondi Junction Westfield in Sydney, Dr Morris said more needed to be done for those with long-term illness.
“What we do know is there is a small group of patients who have psychotic illness and often complicated by personality disturbances and we have to be careful with that small group of patients who can be a risk to themselves and the community,” he said.
“Broadly speaking, what we have seen in the past 30-40 years is the withdrawal of a lot of the care which was available for patients with severe mental illness as the big mental hospitals were closed or reduced in size and the patients who used to go to these places were sent into the community.
“They cannot provide services for them, they lost their accommodation, they lose their mental healthcare and many are in hostels or other places which are not theoretically effective. What we need more than anything else for these patients are to build residential supervised, clinically provisioned accommodation and rehabilitation for these people.”
Cauchi, 40, was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was a teenager and had spent years living on the street in Brisbane, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast where he had contact with police in December.
Cauchi was shot and killed by a NSW police officer during the rampage, during which he killed six people – Yixuan Cheng, Ashlee Good, Pikria Darchia, Faraz Tahir, Dawn Singleton and Jade Young.
Dr Morris said it was little was yet known about Cauchi’s psychiatric state.
“All that we have heard was that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was a teenager,” he said.
“We do not know what his circumstances were, we don’t know if he was under any treatment, what the nature of his illness was. Not too much can be said about this until the details are known.”
Cauchi’s family said in a statement he had “battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager”.
It comes as the community both in NSW and across Australia continue to process the traumatic events. Hundreds have laid flowers outside the shopping centre. NSW Premier Chris Minns has foreshadowed a permanent memorial.
Dr Morris said: “Australia as a nation has been traumatised … beyond the individuals who have lost their lives or have been wounded there are others who are survivors of the slaughter – either escaping or witnessing the stabbing and when one considers the family, friends, associates and colleagues of each of these individuals it is clear to see that a significant proportion of people have been directly affected by this tragedy”.
“The nation and individuals affected by this traumatic assault will be feeling fear, guilt, sadness and anger, and will be asking: ‘Why?’ – a question not easily answered.
“For all individuals affected life will never be the same. But for most recovery will gradually build (but) unfortunately, a small but significant proportion will remain emotionally unwell.”
He said it was critical for follow-up programs to support those affected by the tragedy.
Police are treating the alleged stabbing of a Christian bishop and a priest as a terrorist incident, after a series of late night phone calls in the early hours of Tuesday.
In footage caught on a livestream, a 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed prominent bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel while the bishop was delivering a sermon at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley about 7.10pm on Monday.
A priest was also stabbed, and two others injured.
NSW Commissioner Karen Webb made the decision at 1.35am to declare it a terrorist act, a decision validated by Police Minister Yasmin Catley at 1.45am, who then contacted Premier Chris Minns at 2am.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Mr Minns said police were now conducting a “major and serious criminal investigation”.
Police say the boy sustained serious injuries, amid rumours his finger was cut off during the melee.
He is in police custody at an undisclosed hospital.
Commissioner Webb said the alleged offender was not on any terrorism watch list, and this was the first time he had caught police attention.
She alleged there appeared to be a level of premeditation.
“We will allege he attended that church with the knife. The bishops and priests and others were also injured,” Commissioner Webb said.
“We believe there are elements that are satisfied in terms of religious-motivated extremism and of course intimidation of the public.”
She declared the incident as a “terrorism act” at 1.35am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Minns also called for the community not to take matters “into their own hands”, after a furious mob of about 2000 people swarmed near the church after the alleged stabbing, with riots breaking out and police struggling to maintain order.
It prompted officers to barricade themselves inside the church with the boy for several hours as the violence continued outside.
Several police officers were injured during the unrest.
“Late last night, at 10.30pm, I convened a meeting of faith leaders representing major religious organisations across western Sydney and their
message to their communities was universal – they deplore violence in all forms,” Mr Minns said.
“They call for peace amongst all communities in Sydney, and most importantly, that people remain calm.”
A joint task force with counter-terrorism police has been established, and Anthony Albanese confirmed that a meeting of the National Security Committee would be convened on Tuesday morning.
Asked whether he knew what religion the 16-year-old boy had, the Prime Minister declined to disclose it, saying he wanted to ensure that everything was confirmed before it was released.
He said he was confident the incident should be treated as a terrorism incident, “due to a range of issues which I have been briefed on”, Mr Albanese told ABC Radio.
Speaking about the violence that had broken out outside the church on Monday night, Mr Albanese said there was “no place” for it in Australia.
“There’s no place for violent extremism. We’re a peaceloving nation,” he said.
“This is a time for us to unite as a community and as a country.”