MHCN Welcomes Landmark Investment in Health-led Mental Health Crisis Response

NSW Mental Health Alliance Joint Statement
3 August 2026

Mental Health Carers NSW has joined seven other leading mental health organisations in writing a joint letter to the Hon Rose Jackson, Minister for Mental Health, and the Hon Yasmin Catley MP, Minister for Police, welcoming last week’s announcement of a new health-led response model for mental health emergencies in NSW.

The announcement includes a commitment of more than $270 million over ten years to establish a statewide Virtual Mental Health Hub and eight Mental Health Acute Assessment Teams. It’s one of the most significant investments in mental health crisis care NSW has seen in decades and directly responds to evidence presented to the Bondi Junction Coronial Inquest, the Parliamentary Inquiry into Outpatient and Community Mental Health Care, and the NSW Police Force’s own review.

“This marks the most significant investment in new services for our mental health system in decades,” said Jonathan Harms, CEO of Mental Health Carers NSW. “It is wonderful to see a government with the wisdom and compassion to take responsibility for starting to fix our mental health system, after decades of neglect.”

The joint letter, co-signed by the Australian Society of Psychiatrists, BEING – Mental Health Consumers, Black Dog Institute, Mental Health Coordinating Council, NCOSS, RANZCP and Wayahead, recognises this as an important first step toward the broader reform agenda set out in ‘Having a Mental Health Crisis Is Not a Crime’ joint statement released by BEING – Mental Health Consumers. It also reflects years of advocacy by people with lived experience, families and carers who have long called for mental health crises to be met with healthcare, not policing.

As the model is developed and rolled out, the Alliance has asked government to partner on three key priorities:

• Evidence-based practice standards for any police involvement, with clear, publicly reported criteria for when police versus health-led teams attend.
• Formal governance representation for the mental health sector, including people with lived experience, throughout implementation — not just consultation on design.
• A confirmed rollout timeline, including first-tranche locations and dates.
  
  Read our full statement here 3 August 2026 here: https://www.mentalhealthcarersnsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Mental-Health-Emergencies-Announcement-Alliance-Joint-Letter-30-July-2026.pdf
  Read the Governments media release 30 July 2026 here: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20260730_02.aspx