The Hon Greg Hunt MP
Minister for Health
The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP
Minister Senior Australians and Aged Care
Minister for Indigenous Health
14 March 2019
Community driven action plans to prevent suicide are extending across the Kimberley, with four more communities implementing plans to save lives and improve health and well-being.
As part of the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Trial, Kununurra, Balgo, Wyndham and Halls Creek now have local plans, joining Broome, Derby and Bidyadanga.
Each community receives up to $130,000 to help roll out its action plan which reflects and responds to local issues.
However, the four new plans have a common thread – they are centred on people working and walking together on country, with a series of camps involving high-risk groups.
The camps are planned to provide a range of supports around suicide including healing and sharing and respecting cultural knowledge and traditions. They will also support close engagement with Elders.
A strong cultural framework underpins all the Trial’s activities and all the projects identified by the communities fit within the systems-based approach, guided by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP).
Nine communities are involved in the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Trial, with Community Liaison Officers playing a critical role.
The outcomes will contribute to a national evaluation which aims to find the most effective approaches to suicide prevention for at-risk populations and share this knowledge across Australia.
The Morrison Government is supporting the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Trial with $4 million over four years, from 2016-2020.
It is one of 12 Suicide Prevention Trials being conducted across the nation, with total funding of $48 million.
