“Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for Indigenous Australians. Labor will take action to reduce suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by working with communities to implement the recommendations of the University of Western Sydney’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide”

Read NACCHO 72 Articles 2012-2016 Suicide Prevention

Labor’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy will provide a strong national commitment to reduce the suicide toll, and coordinate a focused effort across Australia.

Suicide affects far too many Australians. In 2014, 2,864 Australians lost their lives to suicide. Approximately seven Australians die from suicide every day, and for every person who dies from suicide, 30 attempt it. We have to do better than this.

Too many families, friends and colleagues are left dealing with these traumatic losses. There are too many kids in this country who have taken days off school to go the funeral of a classmate who has taken their own life. There are too many parents who have had to sit at their kitchen table, shattered, exhausted and grieving, trying to write a eulogy for their own child.

Australia must do more, and under Labor, we will.

A Shorten Labor Government will commission Australia’s first national dataset of suicide deaths and work with the States and Territories to establish a national suicide register, helping experts identify vulnerable groups in our community.

A Shorten Labor Government will provide $72 million over three years for 12 regional suicide pilot projects.

These projects will be in places with higher than average rates of suicide deaths, using a whole of community response to reduce suicide deaths in the most effective way.

Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for Indigenous Australians. Labor will take action to reduce suicide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by working with communities to implement the recommendations of the University of Western Sydney’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide

Prevention Evaluation Project.

Labor will also ensure that at least three of the regional suicide pilot projects are in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

A Shorten Labor Government will provide $9 million towards a National Suicide Prevention Fund. The Fund will support research into reducing suicide deaths, and programs which reduce the stigma around suicide and seeking help when contemplating suicide.

In contrast to the Turnbull Government, Labor’s Strategy will provide national leadership, and builds on our commitment to:

• Restore funding cut by the Liberals to six early psychosis centres, supporting young people with serious mental health problems.
• Provide funding so more than 95 headspace centres around the country can stay open.
• Lead the negotiation to develop the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan.
• Deliver regionally tailored mental health programs through existing Primary Health Networks.
• Make sure people living with a mental illness continue to receive the support and care they need when they are not eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
• Promote the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance to support better mental health at work and remove the stigma and discrimination that all too often accompanies mental ill health.

Labor’s reforms will deliver $83.7 million over four years to provide national leadership on an issue that impacts on far too many in our community.

Peak body commends Shorten stand on suicide and calls on all parties to double funding for prevention

Suicide Prevention Australia, lead agency for the National Coalition for Suicide Prevention, welcomes the Australian Labor Party’s $72m suicide prevention plan announced by Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten MP today.

This plan is, in the most part, aligned to the Suicide Prevention Australia 2016 Election Manifesto and the National Mental Health Commission Review recommendations. Key points from Labor’s plan include:

• Additional $9m to a dedicated national research fund as recommended by the National Research Action Plan for Suicide Prevention. Suicide Prevention Australia will work to leverage this in order to increase philanthropic and community donations
• Funding to keep 95 headspace centres across Australia open for our youth
• Commitment to funding 12 regional suicide prevention trials as outlined in the National Mental Health Commission Review.

SPA CEO Sue Murray says of the announcement, “The sector has been calling for suicide prevention to be a nationally coordinated public health priority above and beyond party promises.

With suicide taking the lives of more than double the number of Australians dying on our roads, we are pleased to see the amount pledged today is almost double existing funds for this national emergency.”

“Whichever party comes into office next month they must play their part in reducing suicides by half in ten years. They must all do everything we can to support Australians to live.”

Carer and long-time lived experience advocate Jen Coulls welcomes the announcement and calls for the voice of those with first hand expertise to continue to be heard, “We cannot afford to lose more lives.

We must make sure that this long awaited investment delivers the change that is needed.” “We have clear first steps for change. No more reviews. Implementation plans must draw on our personal experiences of what is needed to support our most vulnerable. Thousands of lives depend on every party putting their money where their mouth is.”

As Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten MP said in his speech, ” We must offer help and hope.”

Download the Suicide Prevention Australia 2016 Election Manifesto