❓ Hon Stephen Dawson questions the Minister for Mental Health about the rising WA suicide rate despite a national decline, referencing an Auditor General's report. The Minister acknowledges the report's findings and highlights positive outcomes in targeted areas, while conceding ongoing challenges.
AnsweredQoN 499Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SUICIDE
PREVENTION STRATEGY — AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT
499. Hon STEPHEN DAWSON to the
Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the Auditor General's report titled ''The
Implementation and Initial Outcomes of the Suicide Prevention Strategy'',
tabled yesterday. Can the minister explain why, as the national suicide rate
declines, the Western Australian suicide rate continues to soar?
PREVENTION STRATEGY — AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT
499. Hon STEPHEN DAWSON to the
Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the Auditor General's report titled ''The
Implementation and Initial Outcomes of the Suicide Prevention Strategy'',
tabled yesterday. Can the minister explain why, as the national suicide rate
declines, the Western Australian suicide rate continues to soar?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. I would like to say at
the start that I am really glad that the Auditor General recognised in that
report the benefits for communities and individuals through that strategy. I am
also glad that the Auditor General recognised that the One Life initiative,
using a community engagement and workplace approach, is new and innovative and
different, and that quite a lot of communities indicated the significant
benefits that they are receiving from that process.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! The minister is
trying to provide an answer, and I suggest that members listen to it before
they jump to judgement.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you, Mr President. I think
that is exceptionally good advice.
I am also certain that the issues
that the Auditor General raised in that report are around the governance, the
implementation and the planning, because quite a few issues were associated
with that. I acknowledge the things that the Auditor General has written, and a
number of those changes have already taken place. So I am actually quite happy
with the way that those issues have been taken up.
The national suicide rate has continued to decline. The
Western Australian rate has continued—other than very recently—to
go up. I think the figures that the member might be looking at are from around
2010 or 2011.
Hon Stephen Dawson : They are 2012.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Okay. The member will see some quite
significant reductions, if he looks at the last two years, in the areas that we
have targeted, which is young Aboriginal people in remote areas.
Hon Stephen Dawson : We are not seeing that in the
Kimberley.
Hon HELEN MORTON : That absolutely is so. In the
number of young people under the age of 25 across the areas that we have
targeted, we have seen a more than 50 per cent reduction.
Hon Stephen Dawson : We are not seeing that in that
Kimberley and we are not seeing that in the Gascoyne.
Hon HELEN MORTON : The member does not have the
information—I do not even know how he is thinking about it—because
the information that we provide comes from the State Coroner, and that is the
information that I am referring to. Nevertheless, there is still a huge
challenge ahead of all of us. It is the job of not only the government, but
also the whole community to look at the issues of suicide and suicide
prevention in those communities. It is an area that we all need to take very
seriously and we need to do as much as we can. The strategy, of course, is but
one small component of a whole raft of need around suicide prevention,
including the clinical work in hospitals. This strategy was and continues to be
around what mums and dads, teammates, work colleagues et cetera can do on
suicide and suicide prevention and what can be done in a workplace setting.
This was just the beginning. There is more work to be done in this area, and I
look forward to the next phase of the strategy.
the start that I am really glad that the Auditor General recognised in that
report the benefits for communities and individuals through that strategy. I am
also glad that the Auditor General recognised that the One Life initiative,
using a community engagement and workplace approach, is new and innovative and
different, and that quite a lot of communities indicated the significant
benefits that they are receiving from that process.
Several members interjected.
The PRESIDENT : Order! The minister is
trying to provide an answer, and I suggest that members listen to it before
they jump to judgement.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you, Mr President. I think
that is exceptionally good advice.
I am also certain that the issues
that the Auditor General raised in that report are around the governance, the
implementation and the planning, because quite a few issues were associated
with that. I acknowledge the things that the Auditor General has written, and a
number of those changes have already taken place. So I am actually quite happy
with the way that those issues have been taken up.
The national suicide rate has continued to decline. The
Western Australian rate has continued—other than very recently—to
go up. I think the figures that the member might be looking at are from around
2010 or 2011.
Hon Stephen Dawson : They are 2012.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Okay. The member will see some quite
significant reductions, if he looks at the last two years, in the areas that we
have targeted, which is young Aboriginal people in remote areas.
Hon Stephen Dawson : We are not seeing that in the
Kimberley.
Hon HELEN MORTON : That absolutely is so. In the
number of young people under the age of 25 across the areas that we have
targeted, we have seen a more than 50 per cent reduction.
Hon Stephen Dawson : We are not seeing that in that
Kimberley and we are not seeing that in the Gascoyne.
Hon HELEN MORTON : The member does not have the
information—I do not even know how he is thinking about it—because
the information that we provide comes from the State Coroner, and that is the
information that I am referring to. Nevertheless, there is still a huge
challenge ahead of all of us. It is the job of not only the government, but
also the whole community to look at the issues of suicide and suicide
prevention in those communities. It is an area that we all need to take very
seriously and we need to do as much as we can. The strategy, of course, is but
one small component of a whole raft of need around suicide prevention,
including the clinical work in hospitals. This strategy was and continues to be
around what mums and dads, teammates, work colleagues et cetera can do on
suicide and suicide prevention and what can be done in a workplace setting.
This was just the beginning. There is more work to be done in this area, and I
look forward to the next phase of the strategy.
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