00:01It has been more than two years since Joel Couchy went on his stabbing rampage at Westfield
00:07Bondi Junction.
00:09As you say, 16 people were stabbed in just under three minutes and six people died as
00:15a result of his attack.
00:17Now, Couchy, he had a psychotic relapse of schizophrenia and one of the measures that
00:24the New South Wales Government has announced, which has already started implementing, partly
00:28in response to this attack, is a medical-led response to emergencies involving mental health
00:37episodes.
00:38So essentially, a scheme whereby mental health clinicians can respond to mental health emergencies
00:45rather than necessarily police with lights and sirens.
00:49One of the additional things that the Government has announced is a special operations team
00:55within the New South Wales Ambulance Service, essentially offering a high level of training
01:01and tactical prowess when it comes to responding to these sorts of potential mass casualty events.
01:08The Government has also expanded the use of tranexemic acid, which is an agent that paramedics can
01:15use to try to stop bleeding in these sorts of mass casualty events.
01:20However, when it comes to knife laws, this is an issue of more contention.
01:25The Government has already announced new wanding powers for police.
01:30They've been in place for some time.
01:32But the State Opposition says that police should have the power to use metal detection wands in
01:39public places to detect knives without having to first make a declaration about where they're
01:45going to be carrying out those operations.
01:48Today, the Attorney General, Michael Daly, was asked about that.
01:51He said that the Government has trialled these wanding laws.
01:54They have been successful.
01:56And the Government has decided police should still have to give notice, should still have
02:01to make a declaration about where they'll be using these metal detection wands in public.
02:06There was a stakeholder engagement.
02:09The stakeholder engagement came back very strongly of the view that declarations needed to stay.
02:15The police were happy with that.
02:16And it came back very strongly that that did not mean anywhere at any time.
02:22Certain crowded places meant areas where there was perhaps a heightened risk, a safety risk.
02:28And we've amended it to include other areas like entertainment venues and things like that.
02:37So we have totally acquitted ourselves in respect of that recommendation in my view.
02:45And Nick, Joel Couchy was homeless and the Coroner has pointed to issues around crisis accommodation
02:51in Sydney.
02:52How has the Government responded to that?
02:56That's right Miriam.
02:57And when it comes to homelessness, the Coroner specifically called on the New South Wales
03:02Government to model the need for short-term crisis accommodation in the Sydney area for
03:09those who are experiencing mental health crises and homelessness and essentially to then go
03:15and provide them, to build them.
03:16Well, the Government has accepted that recommendation, but only in principle.
03:21It does argue that it's made new and recent investments in some proven programs.
03:27Programs like the Haven and Habilis program for crisis accommodation, but by its own admission,
03:33there is much more work and much more investment to come on that front.
03:36So, let's go.
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