The mother of two boys found dead in the Blue Mountains had lost her job on mental health grounds, it has been revealed.

The bodies of two boys – Russell, aged 11, and Ben Smith, nine – were found in their Faulconbridge family home by their father on Tuesday.

Police are still waiting to question their 42-year-old mother, Trish Smith. She was taken from the scene to Westmead Hospital with minor injuries, reportedly self-inflicted.

NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed reports Smith had previously been sacked from a government department job due to mental health issues.

“The information I’ve been given so far is … the employee was let go from a NSW government agency,” he said on Friday.

“It was challenged in the Industrial Relations Commission. The original decision of the government department was upheld, and I believe it was handled appropriately.”

Smith’s personal Facebook page is filled with photos of her and the children together, showing them on frequent bushwalks and beach visits.

She and the boys’ father Nick were separated.

Investigators have declined to speculate on what occurred before the brothers were killed but police have said they are not looking for anyone else.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Smith had a history of postnatal anxiety and depression, anxiety and adjustment disorder, according to documents in her long legal battle with the NSW government’s Greater Sydney Local Land Services.

The SMH said she worked for the department from 2005 until it deemed her unfit for work and let her go in January 2020.

Smith fought this decision and after conciliation failed, represented herself in a case lodged with the Industrial Relations Commission in March 2022. She eventually lost the case.

According to the paper, case documents reveal her long mental health struggles, which worsened with the birth of each of her sons.

Smith had reportedly since launched a farming business from her family’s Faulconbridge home, offering “quality local food” and “education and coaching”.

Minns said government departments would cooperate with any of the “major inquiries” he forecast into the tragedy.

“Both from the homicide squad and the NSW Police, as well as potentially the Coroner’s Court as well,” he said.

“If new information comes to light, of course government agencies and the NSW government will supply that to any independent investigation that takes place; this is a very serious alleged crime.”

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Smith expressed his disbelief at the tragedy while also calling for privacy.

“The loss of our two beautiful boys has caused unimaginable pain and distress,” he said.

“Russell and Ben were happy, funny, outgoing boys and were very much loved by their family and friends.”

Mr Smith, who does not live at the Blue Mountains home, found the boys about 1pm on Tuesday and contacted police.

Their mother is yet to be interviewed by police and has not been charged.

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-with AAP