‘The workforce dispute was the hardest’: Former NSW chief psychiatrist on the Lindt siege, Westfield attack and mass resignations
Dr Murray Wright stepped down in March after 12 years in the role.
When sirens rush towards the scene of a crisis, another response also takes shape: how to deal with the psychological aftermath.
For 12 years, that responsibility largely fell to Dr Murray Wright, NSW’s chief psychiatrist from 2014 to March 2026.
“The closest I can compare the job to in the rest of the health sector is a really busy ED and trauma service,” he says.
“You never know what is going to come in the door, but you know it’s going to demand your total attention and that it’s going to be challenging.”
