NATIONAL POLICY PLATFORM

April 2019 There are crisis services available 24/7 if you or someone you know is in distress

Lifeline: 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 Introduction www.lifeline.org.au  www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au

" Structural change is essential People who died1 to elevate suicide prevention by suicide were to a cross-portfolio focus. It’s time to concentrate on the link between suicidality and the social determinants of health, 75% as suicide prevention is more people took males than a mental health issue."

their own Nieves Murray - CEO lives in 2017 1 25% Suicide Prevention Australia females The preliminary Causes of Death data Suicide impacts people in many ways. released by the Australian Bureau of For some it’s about the loss of a loved Statistics (ABS) showed a total of 3,128 one, for others it’s the experience of people died by suicide in 2017: 2,348 surviving an attempt to end their life, Over In 2017, the suicide rate males and 780 females. That’s over 8 and for others it’s about caring for a deaths by suicide every day. In 2016, person experiencing a suicidal crisis. among Aboriginal there were a total of 2,866 deaths by With this in mind, we acknowledge 65,000 suicide.1 everyone who has been impacted by and Torres Strait suicide. Islander people By way of comparison, the national road suicide toll was 1,226 in 2017.2 What these numbers show is that was approximately twice suicide is a growing public health attempts that of non-Indigenous The annual number of deaths by suicide concern for all Australians. 3 has been increasing over the past two Australians1 decades. Every year it is estimated that As challenging as the situation seems, pa over 65,000 Australians make a suicide there are encouraging signs. attempt - this translates to more than 180 every day. There are thousands of Australians working collaboratively to achieve a We recognise that these statistics meaningful reduction of suicide. This Acknowledgement Statement represent community members, family includes governments, the suicide members, friends, neighbours, work prevention and healthcare sectors, Suicide Prevention Australia remembers those we have lost to suicide and acknowledges the suffering suicide colleagues, and loved ones. workplaces, schools and communities. brings when it touches our lives. We are brought together by experience and are unified by hope. Suicide Prevention Australia acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their continuing connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to elders past, present and emerging. www.suicidepreventionaust.org 03 Our Policy Platform

Suicide prevention is complex and it needs to be addressed as a whole-of-government issue because it’s more than a health issue. Global evidence shows that a fragmented and mental illness-specific approach doesn’t work. An integrated approach to suicide prevention that encompasses mental health, social, economic and community factors is the best evidence-based solution.

Although there has been an increased Our recommendations look beyond focus and concerted effort in initiatives such as the Fifth National government policy and funding for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention suicide prevention in recent years, this Plan and the elevation of suicide has largely been limited to the health prevention to the Council of Australian portfolio, and has not been a whole-of- Governments. government approach. The Suicide Prevention Australia National Suicide Prevention Australia’s National Policy Platform outlines solutions to Policy Platform advocates for immediate effectively and sustainably support suicide changes to government policy prevention in Australia. These policy architecture. Better cross-portfolio solutions are built on a comprehensive coordination is essential to address the three-pillar approach of leadership, reliable social, economic, health, occupational, data and workforce strategy. cultural and environmental factors involved in suicide prevention.

04 www.suicidepreventionaust.org www.suicidepreventionaust.org 05 Appoint a Federal Minister for Leadership Suicide Prevention • Establish a Cabinet function for suicide prevention to champion a A Whole-Of-Government whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention, and to oversee the development of the National Suicide Approach Prevention Plan and the National Suicide Prevention Office.

Establish a well-funded and This pillar consists of four key actions as outlined below, to enable resourced National Suicide a whole-of-government approach to suicide prevention, so that all Prevention Office government agencies are working towards a unified action plan. • Located within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Office • Leading activity on improving data is to enable a whole-of-government quality, reporting and linkages. approach including suicide prevention • Leading activity on developing a Commonwealth National Suicide Prevention Plan policy, planning and program delivery. suicide prevention workforce strategy Suicide Prevention Act The Office’s work is to be informed and implementation plan. • To be developed in consultation with by input from people with lived • Cement commitment to suicide suicide prevention stakeholders and experience and scientific expertise, • Liaising with States and Territories prevention through the passage of a experts, and with people who have and to include a focus on specialised to coordinate early intervention Commonwealth Suicide Prevention lived experience of suicide, as well as interventions for identified Priority strategies, and aftercare approaches Act. This Act is to provide a legislative taking into account suicide prevention Population groups. for people who have attempted framework for: endeavours by the States and Territories. suicide. • To encompass cross-portfolio National Suicide Prevention Office - The development of an outcomes- approaches to suicide prevention, responsibilities to include: • Facilitating knowledge sharing, and based National Suicide Prevention recognising that suicide prevention is supporting evaluation of suicide Plan within 12 months of the new broader than just activities under the • Leading the development of the prevention programs and service Act commencing, with the plan to be health portfolio, including, but not limited National Suicide Prevention Plan. delivery, including supporting Primary tabled in Parliament. to, social, economic, occupational, Health Networks (PHNs) in their cultural and environmental factors. • Coordination of funding for suicide suicide prevention focus. - The plan to be reviewed and updated • To recognise the importance prevention activity aligned with policy • Building upon existing research every three years. The review of the of customised broad based planning and the National Suicide through the provision of increased plan is to focus on the progress of (biopsychosocial) strategies for Priority Prevention Plan. achieving outcomes and the Federal Population groups. funding to suicide prevention research. Government’s response to the • To include a section specifically • Secure cross-portfolio approaches to • Leading a whole-of-government review, which is also to be tabled in addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait suicide prevention, including guidance approach to the link between suicidality Parliament. Islander suicide prevention. on suicide impact assessments as and the social determinants of health. part of all Cabinet submissions.

06 www.suicidepreventionaust.org www.suicidepreventionaust.org 07 Reliable Data Workforce Strategy

This pillar focuses on improved and coordinated data collection This pillar focuses on and retrieval. Reliable data is comprehensive planning for critical to enabling evidence- the current and future suicide based policy development, the prevention workforce that planning and resourcing of is needed to properly meet suicide prevention activity, the demand for suicide prevention, improvement of service delivery early intervention and response and outcomes, and informed to people in distress. This pillar research. also focuses on resourcing the suicide prevention workforce. National Suicide Prevention Office • Exploring expansion of data collection responsibilities to include: and reporting, e.g. data on suicide attempts, self-harm presentations • Leading an initiative on improving the and people accessing help outside integrity (accuracy and timeliness), of emergency departments (including The National Suicide Prevention collation (local and national information via GPs or private clinicians), and Office to be allocated funding to: including the integration of state-based nongovernment/community-based data) and distribution of suicide data to mental health services. • Develop a suicide prevention • Develop a Suicide Prevention assist service delivery and research. workforce strategy to quantify the size Workforce Strategy Implementation • Acting as a repository to leverage of the suicide prevention workforce Plan. The plan is to include measures • Working in partnership with State Suicide relevant survey data on community, needed both now and in the future, to needed for ongoing training and Registers and relevant organisations youth and older persons’ mental define the types of occupations and support for the full spectrum of to achieve these improvements in data health and wellbeing undertaken by geographic spread of staff required, the workforce addressing suicide collection, including liaising with the government bodies such as the AIHW and to make recommendations for and suicide-related behaviour, e.g. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and ABS and by other stakeholders. meeting these needs. clinicians, lived experience peer the Australian Institute of Health and workers, first responders, GPs, and Welfare (AIHW) and the National Coronial Suicide Prevention Australia is • Conduct the workforce strategy in frontline roles interacting with people Information Service (NCIS). also seeking a commitment for the consultation with the National Mental in vulnerable situations. National Survey of Mental Health Health Commission, and to include • Examining and making recommendations and Wellbeing to be conducted specific consideration of workforce • Consider pre-service tertiary training on the need for a national suicide within twelve months to obtain data needs as they relate to Priority and education within the plan, along register, and national guidelines for the on population-level suicidality and Population groups. with ongoing training needs, e.g. coronial recording of suicide. suicidal behaviour, and for a regular continuing professional development, schedule of follow-up surveys. supervision and mentoring support.

08 www.suicidepreventionaust.org www.suicidepreventionaust.org 09 About Suicide Prevention Australia

Suicide Prevention Australia is the We’re committed to driving continual national peak body for those working improvement in suicide prevention in suicide prevention, engaging with policy, programs and services to achieve Member organisations, governments, better outcomes for all Australians. businesses, researchers, practitioners and those with lived experience, seeking We advocate for a whole-of-government to reduce the impact of suicide on approach to reducing suicide. We are the community. We’ve been providing focused on an integrated approach national support for Australia’s suicide to suicide prevention encompassing prevention sector for more than 25 years. mental health, social, economic and community factors. As the national peak body our role is to support, facilitate collaboration and advocate for the suicide prevention sector. We support our Members to build a stronger suicide prevention sector.

We believe that through collaborative effort and shared purpose, we can achieve our shared vision of a world without suicide.

10 www.suicidepreventionaust.org www.suicidepreventionaust.org 11 ®2019

For general enquiries 02 9262 1130 [email protected] www.suicidepreventionaust.org

References: 1- 'Causes of Death', 26 Sep 2018, Australian Bureau of Statistics, http://www.abs.gov.au/Causes-of-Death 2- https://bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/road_deaths_australia_annual_summaries.aspx 3- Mental Health of Australians Report: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/ Content/mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-toc~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8~mental-pubs-m-mhaust2-8-1