Elizabeth Young wants to fix the system that 'killed' her daughter

Topic: Mental Health

Friday, 7 August 2026, at 10:24 am

Friday, 7 August 2026, at 10:52 am

Elizabeth Young's daughter Jade was killed in the Bondi Junction attack.

In short:

The mother of a Bondi Junction stabbing victim is working with mental health groups to pressure the government for a better response to the coronial inquest.

The state government said it supports 11 recommendations in full and two in principle.

Elizabeth Young said her daughter Jade died because the system failed.

Mental health groups and the mother of a Bondi Junction stabbing victim say the government's response will not prevent similar tragedies.

The state announced it would accept the coronial report's recommendations, but the groups say the full response tells another story.

The recommendations came from a five-week coronial inquest into the deaths of six people at Bondi Westfield in 2024.

Six people were killed: Yixuan Cheng, Faraz Tahir, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia, Dawn Singleton, and Ashlee Good.

The state supports 11 recommendations in full and two in principle, including modelling short-term accommodation and reviewing NSW Ambulance's response plan.

The six mental health groups say the government has declined to commit to concrete action and is withholding a key report on mental health funding gaps.

The groups include BEING Mental Health, Mental Health Carers NSW, and the Australian Society of Psychiatrists.

Elizabeth Young is cynical about the government's response.

Elizabeth Young said she is pleased with 11 of the 13 recommendations, but is sceptical about what will be done.

'Goodwill is just a promise on paper'

The Australian Society of Psychiatrists chief executive said the government's 'in principle' commitments 'kick the can down the road'.

Pramudie Gunaratne said concrete action is needed.

Pramudie Gunaratne called on the government to act on recommendations to commit to fully funding supported housing.

Giancarlo de Vera, the chief executive of BEING Mental Health, called on the government to do more.

'Goodwill is just a promise on paper; we need commitments to address structural issues'.

Government under pressure to do more

Opposition leader Kellie Sloane called on the government to release the report on mental health funding gaps.

'We are in a world of pain if this isn't addressed properly,' Ms Sloane said.

The state Labor government has a habit of commissioning reports and not revealing the details.

'This is too important to hide away.'

The NSW government will accept all recommendations from the Westfield Bondi Junction coronial inquest.

Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said the government needs to do more.

The government is rolling out different programs to provide support for people with complex mental illness.

The government is planning to release the gap analysis into mental health funding.

See more ABC coverage in your search results

If you need someone to talk to, call: