NSW is in a cost-of-living crisis. Here’s what it is doing to our health

Joanne Cockle was booked in to see a specialist for rheumatoid arthritis, but the $380 gap fee just before Christmas was more than she could afford.

She cancelled, and will have to wait seven months for another appointment. Meanwhile, the costs keep piling up. Her daughter returns to school next week and needs a new uniform.

“I’m really stressed about where I’m going to take the money from. I will have to not pay a bill or go without something else, like petrol,” the Central Coast mother said.

Joanne Cockle worries constantly about paying for appointments for herself and her two children with autism.Credit: Rhett Wyman

More than half of people in NSW said their mental health was worse due to their financial situation, with four out of five worried about the cost of living, according to a report released by the NSW Mental Health Commission on Friday.

The representative survey of more than 2000 people conducted in April 2024 found those cost-of- living concerns coincided with a 10 per cent increase in people reporting loneliness compared with the previous year.

Around 20 per cent of people said they lacked companionship and felt left out or isolated either often or all of the time, compared to 15 per cent in 2022.

“The two things are interrelated,” said NSW Mental Health Commissioner Jennifer Black.

“If you’re under financial pressure, you might not be able to afford your mortgage or your rent ... you might not be able to afford some of the social activities that you would normally do.”

In her first interview since taking on the role in November, Black said stigma, out-of-pocket fees, and a lack of confidence in navigating a complex system were preventing many people from getting care.

Black declined to comment on the resignation of more than 200 psychiatrists from the public hospital system but said the sector needed to address widespread workforce shortages to take pressure off hospitals.

“People in emergency distress might end up in the hospital end of the system, which tends to deal with the more complex mental health issues, but the first port of call often is a GP, and there can be barriers to [seeing them], too,” she said. “The workforce issues are across the board – it’s not just acute staff.”

Mental Health Commissioner Jennifer Black says many people face barriers to getting the help they need.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Black, an occupational therapist by training, was named commissioner after the role was vacant for most of last year when the former commissioner, Catherine Lourey, abruptly retired amid a SafeWork probe sparked by a Herald investigation into the commission’s “toxic” workplace culture.

Addressing the psychiatry resignations last week, Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson said mental health was underfunded, but the government was restricted by budget pressures.

“We’re not interested in increasing taxes or charges for the taxpayers of NSW right now. No one can afford that,” she said. “That’s why just acceding to a 25 per cent pay increase in one year for one part of the workforce isn’t possible.”

If you, or someone you know, needs support you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

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