The South Australian Parliament is the first Australian state to pass a Suicide Prevention Act, marking a national milestone for suicide prevention.
The establishment of a Suicide Prevention Act is a significant milestone for the sector and the wider community. The legislation will progress key cross-agency, data and prevention priorities in South Australia.
Not only is this an important piece of legislation to prevent suicide, it serves as a potential model for the Commonwealth and other states and territories to follow.
Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray said, “This is a good day for the suicide prevention sector and a huge step forward for our advocacy around a whole-of-government approach.
“It follows significant work in South Australia and advocacy from our members as well as the team here at Suicide Prevention Australia.
“Standalone legislation is an important enabler of a whole-of-government approach and ensures all agencies and officials are focused on how to prevent suicide across the community.
“We’ve seen similar legislation overseas succeed in driving down the rate of suicide; it’s why we’ve backed legislation here in Australia.
“A law requiring all agencies to consider the risk of suicide in their work reflects the role we can all play in preventing suicide and saving lives,” said Ms Murray.
The legislation will:
- Enshrine state-wide objectives to reduce suicide, including promoting best-practice suicide prevention, training and education and supporting priority population groups
- Legislate a Suicide Prevention Council comprised of senior public sector officials, members of parliament and suicide prevention leaders in the community including lived experience across a number of priority cohorts
- Require a state suicide prevention plan to be developed that will include performance indicators, annual reporting, specific measures for priority populations and to progress the objectives of the Act
- Require every state government agency to adhere to the state suicide prevention plan
- Require prescribed state government agencies to have their own suicide prevention action plans which set out how the agency will prevent suicide by employees and members of the community that engage with the authority
- Enable recommendations relating to suicide prevention be made by the Minister and officials, for example, in respect of means restriction
- Establish a South Australia Suicide Register and enable data-sharing on suicide deaths and attempts
Suicide Prevention Australia continues to advocate to the Commonwealth to pass a Suicide Prevention Act.
To get help 24/7, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, phone 000 for emergency services.
Help to report about suicide safely is available online: Go to https://mindframe.org.au/
Media enquiries:
Clare Kinsella 0427 689 689 or clarek@suicidepreventionaust.org
Amelia Banks 0410 591 134 or ameliab@suicidepreventionaust.org
About Suicide Prevention Australia
Suicide Prevention Australia is the national peak body and we’ve been providing support for Australia’s suicide prevention sector for more than 25 years. We support and advocate for our members to drive continual improvement in suicide prevention policy, programs and services. Our reach is broad, including member organisations, governments, businesses, researchers, practitioners and those with lived experience. We are focused on an integrated approach to suicide prevention encompassing mental health, social, economic and community factors. We believe that through collaborative effort and shared purpose, we can achieve our vision of a world without suicide.
