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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-03 Daily Xml
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Suicide Prevention

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:06): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about suicide prevention training in journalism and public relations.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS: The minister will recall that on 18 November last year I asked her questions regarding the possible implementation of a program called Mindframe for government-funded journalism and public relations education courses. As I have previously indicated, Mindframe is a resource that was developed in consultation with media, public relations, professionals, academics and suicide prevention and mental health experts.

Mindframe provides new journalists and people and associated fields with the skills to reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by people with mental illness, inform on appropriate reporting and communication about suicide and mental illness and, primarily, minimise harm and copycat behaviour.

In the minister's response it was mentioned that the usual process for those courses is to have strong industry input, and the minister was of the view that the industry professional and other codes of conduct would encompass suicide protocols for the media. The minister could not categorically confirm that so she graciously offered to bring back an answer. On 6 May this year, the minister brought back the answer and it states:

The State Government does not determine curriculum that is delivered in nationally accredited VET courses. This is the responsibility of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) which is the national VET regulator.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance provides members with a Code of Ethics for which journalists should follow when reporting which is outlined on their website.

I visited the aforementioned website and viewed the code of ethics, which is quite generic with no mention of mental illness or suicide. In light of this response my questions to the minister are:

1. Notwithstanding the Media Alliance code of ethics already in place, will the minister or her department insist on the use of Mindframe in media, public relations and journalism courses conducted by government-funded institutions?

2. Alternatively, what information or advice does the minister have that the current code of ethics in place ensures that mental illness and suicide prevention are satisfactorily incorporated?

3. Will the minister commit her department to investigate if the current code of ethics is as effective as the Mindframe resource?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:09): I thank the honourable member for his questions. As I indicated in my initial response, it is most inappropriate for me, as minister, to be determining curriculum for training—or higher education, for that matter—which I am also responsible for. There are processes involved, particularly at a more national level now.

We've gone from state-based programs to a nationally accredited program, which I think is a very positive thing. It means that similar curricula are accredited around the nation and similar standards are able to be maintained around the nation, so I think that is a positive thing. It would be most inappropriate for me to be determining curriculum. That's a matter for industry to identify and also educators. Certainly, I'm prepared to encourage the industry to consider these things and for them to encourage those elements being added to curriculum in some way, but it's most inappropriate for me, as an individual, to be prescribing curriculum outcomes.

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