An inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, which left six dead and ten injured, has highlighted gaps in the mental health system that allowed the suspect, Joel Cauchi, to go untreated despite his known schizophrenia.
The NSW Coroners Court heard that Cauchi had stopped taking medication years before the April 13 incident, and his family had even confiscated his hunting knives over safety concerns.
Despite warnings from his parents and interactions with police, no interventions were made to ensure Cauchi received sustained treatment, and his declining mental health went unaddressed as he moved between Queensland and New South Wales while homeless.
The inquest will examine these oversights, including Queensland and NSW authorities’ actions.
Additionally, the coroner will investigate the adequacy of the security response at Bondi Junction’s Westfield shopping centre. Security arrangements, the lack of an immediate alarm, and the centre’s emergency protocols are in question, especially given the delay in alerting patrons and the challenging environment first responders encountered.
They call Australia a rich country, rich for whom? The answer isn’t the average Australian. I lived in Sydney 20 or so years ago and remember the homeless living on the street, many clearly mentally ill. No money to help them, to even out a basic roof over their poor heads. This is what years of neo liberalism and greedy globalism gets you. People need to start voting ethically, considering the plight of their fellow man and woman.