❓ Question on suicide rates in Bunbury, following up on previous concerns raised about mental health services in Narrogin. Minister responds by highlighting government initiatives and improved suicide statistics in the region.
AnsweredQoN 567Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH —
SUICIDES
567. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to a media statement of Tuesday, 3 June 2008 titled ''Mental
health crisis hits Narrogin'', in which the current minister as the then
shadow Minister for Mental Health said —
the deaths of six young men in
Narrogin within five months had again highlighted the inadequacy of rural and
remote mental health services, with Narrogin Aboriginal leaders seeking urgent
funding to cope with the crisis.
The then shadow minister is also quoted as saying —
This is a crisis and we need a
crisis intervention strategy now instead of waiting for yet another coronial
inquiry
Given that in 2010–11 Bunbury recorded 27 suicides in
12 months —
(1) Does the minister consider this to be a crisis; and, if not,
why not?
(2) Has the minister developed a crisis intervention strategy
for Bunbury; and, if not, why not?
(3) Will the minister be calling for a coronial inquiry into
these deaths; and, if not, why not?
SUICIDES
567. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to a media statement of Tuesday, 3 June 2008 titled ''Mental
health crisis hits Narrogin'', in which the current minister as the then
shadow Minister for Mental Health said —
the deaths of six young men in
Narrogin within five months had again highlighted the inadequacy of rural and
remote mental health services, with Narrogin Aboriginal leaders seeking urgent
funding to cope with the crisis.
The then shadow minister is also quoted as saying —
This is a crisis and we need a
crisis intervention strategy now instead of waiting for yet another coronial
inquiry
Given that in 2010–11 Bunbury recorded 27 suicides in
12 months —
(1) Does the minister consider this to be a crisis; and, if not,
why not?
(2) Has the minister developed a crisis intervention strategy
for Bunbury; and, if not, why not?
(3) Will the minister be calling for a coronial inquiry into
these deaths; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I thank the member
for, yet again, another opportunity to talk about these issues. The previous
government had no suicide prevention strategy—there was nothing. The
issue around the number of people who died in a short space of time at Narrogin
was absolutely tragic. I went out there on more than one occasion, met with
people, sat with them, and had general meetings in the local town hall. I went
with the then Minister for Mental Health at a follow-up time, and with the
Minister for Health. There was a significant government presence around what we
could do in Narrogin, and we did put in, along with the commonwealth
government, a number of amazing initiatives. For those people who remember, it
culminated in a function about 12 months later, here on the landing outside the
Aboriginal People's Room, where the children from Narrogin —
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Why don't you answer the
question!
The PRESIDENT : Order! The member in her
preamble talked about a press release referring to Narrogin. I think it is
reasonable for the minister to answer some of those points in a concise and
relevant way, and then move on to the other aspects of the question.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you very much, Mr President.
There was a very concerted effort between both the state and
the commonwealth to address the issues around Narrogin. As I was saying, it
culminated in the most moving of ceremonies outside the Aboriginal People's
Room, with a photo story, I think it is called, in which the young people of
Narrogin, 12 months later, brought in photos demonstrating what the changes in
that community around suicide prevention meant to them. I believe there was
hardly a dry eye among those present that day, knowing how much these kids have
got out of the range of interventions that have been put in place and the
significant difference it has made to their lives.
During the recess I was in Bunbury. I talked to people across
the range of mental health services there. I talked to local government
authorities there about the number of suicides that had occurred in Bunbury in
the previous year, but I was also able to talk to them about what has happened
since. What has happened since, which Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich does not want to
ever acknowledge, is that apart from the range of suicide prevention strategies
in place there and the wonderful collaboration that has taken place, there has
been a groundswell of support for suicide prevention amongst all the services
involved—directly, in the case of specialist mental health services,
but also amongst support services in the community.
The number of suicides in 2011 that the member referred to is
quite high, as she mentioned; there were 29 or so. I think it was around about
that number.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : There were 29 with two to be determined,
so 27 actual.
Hon HELEN MORTON : The two are part of the 29, so do not add
them on, which is what someone else tried to do. The member does not want
people to know about this because it is good news story, but in the first six
months of this year, as at 30 June, national coronial information statistics
tell us there had been, unfortunately, five suicides across the whole of the
Bunbury coronial jurisdiction. Just so members do not think it is just Bunbury,
the coronial jurisdiction includes places as broadly spread as Margaret River,
Manjimup and all of the areas in the south west; I have them here. Frequently,
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich tries to pull the information down in a way that makes
people feel really concerned. Remember that this is the same member who
predicted—I think at the beginning of this year; I cannot remember the
exact time—that there would be 600 suicides in Western Australia this
year. The reality is a long way different from that prediction. Just so members
know the communities included in the Bunbury coronial jurisdiction, they are:
Augusta, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Brunswick Junction, Busselton, Collie,
Donnybrook, Dunsborough, Harvey, Manjimup, Margaret River, Nannup, Pemberton,
Waroona and Yarloop. A lot of work is taking place, and although I am not prepared
to claim that the results are necessarily the results of that work, the results
I have seen are very heartening indeed.
for, yet again, another opportunity to talk about these issues. The previous
government had no suicide prevention strategy—there was nothing. The
issue around the number of people who died in a short space of time at Narrogin
was absolutely tragic. I went out there on more than one occasion, met with
people, sat with them, and had general meetings in the local town hall. I went
with the then Minister for Mental Health at a follow-up time, and with the
Minister for Health. There was a significant government presence around what we
could do in Narrogin, and we did put in, along with the commonwealth
government, a number of amazing initiatives. For those people who remember, it
culminated in a function about 12 months later, here on the landing outside the
Aboriginal People's Room, where the children from Narrogin —
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : Why don't you answer the
question!
The PRESIDENT : Order! The member in her
preamble talked about a press release referring to Narrogin. I think it is
reasonable for the minister to answer some of those points in a concise and
relevant way, and then move on to the other aspects of the question.
Hon HELEN MORTON : Thank you very much, Mr President.
There was a very concerted effort between both the state and
the commonwealth to address the issues around Narrogin. As I was saying, it
culminated in the most moving of ceremonies outside the Aboriginal People's
Room, with a photo story, I think it is called, in which the young people of
Narrogin, 12 months later, brought in photos demonstrating what the changes in
that community around suicide prevention meant to them. I believe there was
hardly a dry eye among those present that day, knowing how much these kids have
got out of the range of interventions that have been put in place and the
significant difference it has made to their lives.
During the recess I was in Bunbury. I talked to people across
the range of mental health services there. I talked to local government
authorities there about the number of suicides that had occurred in Bunbury in
the previous year, but I was also able to talk to them about what has happened
since. What has happened since, which Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich does not want to
ever acknowledge, is that apart from the range of suicide prevention strategies
in place there and the wonderful collaboration that has taken place, there has
been a groundswell of support for suicide prevention amongst all the services
involved—directly, in the case of specialist mental health services,
but also amongst support services in the community.
The number of suicides in 2011 that the member referred to is
quite high, as she mentioned; there were 29 or so. I think it was around about
that number.
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich : There were 29 with two to be determined,
so 27 actual.
Hon HELEN MORTON : The two are part of the 29, so do not add
them on, which is what someone else tried to do. The member does not want
people to know about this because it is good news story, but in the first six
months of this year, as at 30 June, national coronial information statistics
tell us there had been, unfortunately, five suicides across the whole of the
Bunbury coronial jurisdiction. Just so members do not think it is just Bunbury,
the coronial jurisdiction includes places as broadly spread as Margaret River,
Manjimup and all of the areas in the south west; I have them here. Frequently,
Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich tries to pull the information down in a way that makes
people feel really concerned. Remember that this is the same member who
predicted—I think at the beginning of this year; I cannot remember the
exact time—that there would be 600 suicides in Western Australia this
year. The reality is a long way different from that prediction. Just so members
know the communities included in the Bunbury coronial jurisdiction, they are:
Augusta, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Brunswick Junction, Busselton, Collie,
Donnybrook, Dunsborough, Harvey, Manjimup, Margaret River, Nannup, Pemberton,
Waroona and Yarloop. A lot of work is taking place, and although I am not prepared
to claim that the results are necessarily the results of that work, the results
I have seen are very heartening indeed.
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