NSW Refers Psychiatrist Dispute to 3rd Party, Premier Warns 25 Percent Pay Increase ‘Unaffordable’

NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce has asked administrative staff to temporarily pause the processing of psychiatrists’ resignations.

A volunteer psychiatrist speaks with a patient during a consultation in Antakya, Turkey, on April 6, 2023. Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

The New South Wales (NSW) Labor government will seek external help to respond to a looming mental health crisis, as more than 200 public psychiatrists prepare to quit their jobs.

On Jan. 20, NSW Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said the state government would ask the Industrial Relations Commission to intervene in the pay rise dispute between the state and the psychiatric workforce.