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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-11-30 Daily Xml
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Suicide Prevention

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:15): Could the Minister for Health and Wellbeing please update the chamber on the ‘What we heard about suicide in South Australia’ report?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:15): I would like to thank the honourable member for his question and I would be delighted to update the council on the suicide prevention team within Wellbeing SA and the work that they have done in the consultation feedback report informing the development of the state's next Suicide Prevention Plan.

As members of the council would be aware, this government has taken real action to address the issue of suicide and preventing it in this state. In addition to the legislation currently being considered in the other place, back in 2018 the Premier appointed the state's inaugural Suicide Prevention Council and also South Australia's first Premier's Advocate for Suicide Prevention, a role filled by yourself, Mr President, for more than two years.

This government's commitment to suicide prevention and mental health services can also be seen through the landmark spending of $163.5 million over four years committed in this year's state budget. We are also the government that developed the first Mental Health Services Plan in seven years, after mental health was sorely neglected by the then government, the government that brought us Oakden, a shame on this state's history when it comes to mental health.

Meanwhile, we are the government that opened Australia's first adult mental health care centre, the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre in Grenfell Street, providing a more appropriate option for people experiencing mental health crisis or emotional distress, a service that has supported more than 1,600 people in the first 8½ months. I understand, Mr President, that you have had the opportunity to inspect that facility and I trust that you were as impressed as I was. It is a world-leading facility for people with mental health issues here in Adelaide.

We are also the government that established South Australia's first specific service for people living with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The service, BPD Co as it's known, provides expert support, education, training and services through a hub and spoke model to people living with BPD and their families and allies.

We are the government that managed to get the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit open at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after the former government failed to do so. But I digress. This year, the suicide prevention team within Wellbeing SA has been working on the state's next Suicide Prevention Plan.

From March to July 2021, we heard from 3,200 South Australian voices on this plan, a very significant response in a public consultation on a government plan. The 3,200 included individuals, community groups, peak bodies, government agencies and more. Feedback was provided by phone, email, social media and in writing.

It demonstrates how important this issue is for so many South Australians and why it is essential we get this plan right. In 2020, around 234 South Australians lost their lives to suicide and it was a leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 44 years of age. We need to remember that each statistic represents a human life and that suicide is often preventable.

The key themes that emerged from the public consultation included the need to respect people as individuals—including responding to individual needs, treating people with kindness and respecting different views—and building stronger communities, including cohesion, connection and belonging, care and compassion, self-determination, challenging societal norms, and tackling social and economic disadvantage such as poverty and domestic and family violence.

The consultation also highlighted the need to build community capacity, including community education, learning to identify and talk about feelings and knowing how to help each other, creating more supportive environments and supporting people at times of risk and people bereaved by suicide. The consultation highlighted the need for strengthening services, including putting the person first, changing the care model, knowing how to get help and appropriate services for different cultures and populations, and workforce training. Finally, do it right, don't rush.

I would like to thank Wellbeing SA for their work in coordinating the preparation of the Suicide Prevention Plan. I would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to the report: the Premier's Council on Suicide Prevention; the many offices, teams and local health networks; community mental health; acute mental health; rehabilitation mental health; the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist; and all of the staff, whether they were a peer worker, a nurse, an allied health member, a psychiatrist, or employed through our important partnerships with the non-government sector. Thank you for your ideas and thoughts.

Very importantly, I thank the thousands of South Australians with lived experience of mental illness, emotional distress, suicide and suicidal ideation for what they have brought to this report as we strive to have relevant and responsive mental health services.

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