Louisa Simmonds

As shock turns to anger over the atrocity at Bondi, our thoughts turn to who’s to blame

As Sydney reels from Saturday’s killings, what everyone wants to know is if the perpetrator “slipped through the cracks” of our inadequate mental healthcare system or if he was unstoppable?

Five days on from Saturday’s tragedy, most of us are returning to some level of normality. As shock gives way to disbelief and we learn more about the motives of the killer, our thoughts turn to who’s to blame for such a heinous act.

Was it untreated mental illness, misogyny, or the trauma caused by exclusion? And how can we prevent something like this from happening again?

The release of the perpetrator’s diagnosis of schizophrenia is a double-edged sword. For those needing some closure, it provides some motive, but it is also a painful misrepresentation of the condition that will likely increase stigma for those who suffer from it. And though the harrowing interviews from the man’s grieving parents give us a different perspective on this terrible story – opening once again the nature-nurture argument – it is a highly complex and contentious topic.

Is anyone truly “born bad”?

According to Psychology Today, this is the current thought about the nature/nurture argument:

‘“Genetics” and “environment” are frequently used in their place—with one’s environment including a broader range of experiences than just the nurturing received from parents or caregivers. Further, nature and nurture (or genetics and environment) do not simply compete to influence a person, but often interact with each other; “nature and nurture” work together. Finally, individual differences do not entirely come down to a person’s genetic code or developmental environment—to some extent, they emerge due to messiness in the process of development as well.‘

In other words, there are a number of factors that influence behaviour.

I choose to believe that no one is born bad and as we slowly gain greater insight into the many layers of our neurodiverse society and its many different brain types – it makes sense that a combination of genes, environment, exposure and trauma form our behaviour – social and anti-social.

“Nurture” is often blamed on the parents

And this makes them an easy target when things go wrong. However, the way we are brought up is only one influence and there are many causes of childhood trauma – many of which have nothing to do with our parents or their parenting style.

Our mental health relies on a multimodal system of care that comes from our families and friends and the medical profession and its different communities and agencies.

Success comes from a multimodal system of care

Defining which traits are good or bad isn’t easy either because their value varies from culture to culture. For example, a trait like sensitivity is viewed in both a positive and negative light.

What is clear is that the intent to commit murder is neither a trait nor a condition and the reasons behind such behaviour are more complicated than being “born bad”. In the opinion of the perpetrator’s parents, he wouldn’t have committed the crime in his right mind – or on his medication. But sadly, we’re unlikely to ever know what combination of adverse factors triggered him – although, rarely is schizophrenia a direct cause of murder even if psychosis creates the delusions that their son exhibited on Saturday.

Murder is a risk when severe mental illness is left untreated

When serious mental health conditions are not properly managed, the risks of these devastating outcomes increase. Hence, it seems logical to assume that if we invested more in helping people with antisocial behaviours, we would reduce the threat.

Call me an ideologist, but many of us who have accessed the mental healthcare system understand the limitations of its resources. Sadly, many of our kids are lost to suicide because of inadequate care and funding.

Lives are at risk – to both the general public and those with mental health issues

I would never excuse murder, misogyny, or any terror-related activity on a mental illness, but as someone who has experienced the gaps for both sufferers and their carers, Saturday’s tragedy was less of a surprise.

What many people don’t realise is that people who suffer from severe mental illness face a catch-22 situation. The impairing symptoms of their illness leave them unable to work – leading to hardship, feelings of worthlessness, desperation and ultimately, homelessness – but without an address, they are unable to access the care they need.

Where is our duty of care?

Numerous recent studies have highlighted the increase in mental health problems, yet little has improved for sufferers and their families, the homeless, or substance users. No doubt, there will be another government commission – at vast expense to taxpayers – but what we need desperately right now are tangible reforms.

Many Western governments – and not just Australia – prioritise their popularity at the polls over the needs of the people they are elected to serve, and mental health agencies and support groups are often the first victims of budget cuts. Yet somehow we manage to find the money for nuclear submarines and revamping perfectly adequate sports stadiums.

Had the perpetrator been monitored, would six bodies be lying in a morgue in Sydney today? If Medicare subsidised more psychology sessions, if we trained more psychiatrists, created more psych wards, or built more rehabilitation centres, is there a chance we could shut the gate before the horse bolted?

Are women safe anywhere?

The terror on Saturday compounded the feeling amongst women that no one can protect us. It appears we must now add shopping malls to the long list of places we aren’t safe and disenfranchised men to the threats of sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence and murder.

But none of this conjecture matters to the victims of Bondi Junction. They won’t witness any hasty amendments the government implements to knife laws, mental health care, or mall security. They won’t see the wreaths of flowers left in their honour, the tears and lifelong sadness of their families, or their children grow up.

None of us can foresee the full impact of trauma on Saturday’s shoppers – a ticking timebomb of enduring psychological damage that will invade the DNA of future generations.

This mass killing will undo much of the good work mental health advocates have done to create more understanding and compassion. It is heartbreaking to think that in twenty-five minutes the perpetrator destroyed six lives and potentially all of the work done to reframe the narrative around mental health.

But who’s really to blame?