NSW adopts mental health reforms after Bondi Junction stabbing inquest

A coronial inquest into the April 13, 2024 mass stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney, which left six dead and ten injured, identified systemic failures in mental‑health care and emergency‑service coordination. Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan issued 23 recommendations, 13 of which were directed at the New South Wales government.

The NSW government has accepted all of the recommendations, pledging a health‑led response model for mental‑health emergencies, stronger community mental‑health services, reforms to knife‑scanning laws, and an "escape, hide, tell" public‑safety campaign. It will also improve interoperability between police and ambulance communications and introduce new training for crowded‑place emergencies. The reforms follow the killing spree by 40‑year‑old Joel Cauchi, who was experiencing psychosis and was shot dead by police after the attack.