NSW Premier Chris Minns fronts budget estimates hearing

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NSW Premier Chris Minns fronts budget estimates hearing

NSW Premier Chris Minns has acknowledged escalating concerns from nurses and hospital workers that someone could die as a result of the state’s buckling mental health system.

Mr Minns, appearing before a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday, said there had been a decline in the state’s bed capacity for mental health patients following the mass resignation of public psychiatrists over January and February.

“There has been a decline in the mental health bed capacity in NSW,” he said.

“Less than 1 per cent, the triage and emergency measures NSW Health has put in place are largely covering what is a complex field.”

A total of 52 psychiatrists have walked away from the health system as of early February amid a long-running pay dispute with the government.

The union representing the health workers wants a 25 per cent one-year pay increase, but Mr Minns claims the demand is unreasonable and the dispute has now moved to the Industrial Relations Commission.

Camera IconPremier Chris Minns fronted a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday. NewsWire / John Appleyard Credit: NewsWire

On Wednesday, Opposition upper house member Sarah Mitchell told the committee a schizophrenic patient had spent 88 hours in Westmead Hospital’s emergency department.

She asked the premier whether “horrific stories” from nurses on the frontline of mental health care imbued him with concern the state’s wards might record a fatality.

“Of course I am,” he replied.

“I’m faced with a major issue.”

Mr Minns said the chaos had its roots in the previous Coalition government’s decision to place wage caps on public health workers.

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He said the union was now pushing to make up for “12 years” of wage suppression.

“Our argument is, it’s not possible to do it,” he said.

“It was a decade worth of wage suppression that you (the Coalition) put in place.”

The government has offered a 10.5 per cent increase and is paying locum doctors to fill service gaps.

Ms Mitchell also criticised the Premier’s decision to approve a January holiday for Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson as the mass resignation event approached.

Mr Minns said the Ms Jackson had organised visiting medical officers, triage measures and had offered the workers a pay increase before taking her leave.

“For all of those reasons, I believe it was appropriately managed,” he said.

Minns bats away ********** legalisation

Mr Minns also batted away a call to legalise ********** in NSW.

Under questioning from committee chair and Legalise Cannabis Party member Jeremy Buckingham, Mr Minns said he did not have a mandate to deliver the controversial reform.

“It would be a big change … I think I’ve said to you previously, we don’t have a mandate to do that,” he said.

“We didn’t go to the election promising to make that change.”

Mr Buckingham queried whether the ACT, which has legalised small amounts of cannabis for personal use, had become a “honeypot of vice and corruption” following the change.

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But Mr Minns said he needed to take into consideration the concern of clinicians about the impact of ubiquitous use of **********.

Mr Minns said any change in the area was not “imminent” and he would not commit to taking it to the next election.

“I’m not prepared to speculate on that,” he said.

“It’s not something that is imminent. It’s not something we are considering.”

Mr Minns has previously expressed support for legalising **********.

The NSW Libertarian Party is currently pushing for a plebiscite to decriminalise the drug.

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