The National Suicide Prevention Strategy

Every day in Australia, an average of 9 people die by suicide and more than 150 people attempt to take their own life. This is more than 3,000 deaths and 55,000 attempts each year. In addition, thousands more will experience suicidal distress. The impacts of the loss of life, suicide attempts and suicidal distress on individuals, families and communities are devastating. It does not have to be this way. Most suicides are preventable.  

This Strategy aims to unify the efforts of governments, communities, and service providers to improve suicide prevention outcomes in Australia. 

It provides an outline of what needs to be done to prevent suicidal distress, suicide attempts and suicide deaths. 

To be truly effective we need an evidence-based compassionate suicide prevention system that: 

•  Acts to prevent people from reaching the point of suicidal distress in the first place.  

  This can be achieved by taking proactive steps to address areas of disadvantage and adversity that contribute to distress before they escalate into suicidal thoughts or attempts. 

• Strengthens the support system to ensure that when a person does experience suicidal distress, support is accessible, compassionate, and effective. 

  The support system must be able to respond to individual needs and circumstances, be better equipped to address the full range of factors underlying a person’s distress and help to restore wellbeing.  

• Is sustained by collective effort from governments, sectors beyond health, service providers, and communities.  

  The system needs to be supported by greater accountability, more research and better data, and a stronger suicide prevention workforce. It is critical that the voices and expertise of people with lived and living experience are elevated and that this hard-earned wisdom is embedded into policy design and implementation. 

  

Download the National Suicide Prevention Strategy

Download the Summary of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy

Image: the Hon. Emma McBride holds the Strategy with Lived Experience Partnership Group Members (LtoR) Amy Bertakis, Jo Riley and Chris Trupp.

How the Strategy was developed 

Throughout the development of the Strategy, we heard from thousands of individuals and hundreds of organisations and community groups. Thank you to all who provided expertise, guidance and support for this work. To find out how the Strategy was developed and who contributed, please CLICK HERE. 

Summary of feedback received through public consultation

We acknowledge all who have contributed to the development of this Strategy and the evidence that has informed it. We especially thank those with a lived and living experience of suicide who have so generously and openly shared their hard-earned wisdom to improve outcomes for the community. 

To access the summary of feedback we heard through the public consultation on the draft Advice on the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, CLICK HERE. 

Quotes about the Strategy:

Jo Riley, NSPO Lived Experience Partnership Group Member:

"We need to create communities where we can all feel safe, secure, included and supported to get through life’s tougher times if we are to prevent suicide."

"I hope that the thousands of people who have shared their personal experiences with suicide over the past years to drive improvements, whether this was at the 2010 Senate Inquiry, inputting to the National Advice in 2020, or being part of surveys, consultations, research, Collaboratives, networks, advisory groups, conferences and conversations, can see meaningful actions in the Strategy that reflect their voice. This work has been years in the making, and you have all contributed."  

Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon. Mark Butler:

“This national strategy, developed by experts and deeply informed by the lived experience of people impacted by suicide, will help guide national direction and reduce the profound impact of suicide on families and communities.

“The Albanese Government welcomes the endorsement from all states and territories for this new approach to suicide prevention.”  

 Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, The Hon. Emma McBride:

“It will take all governments, services and communities to work together to prevent suicide. 

“The Albanese Government is proud to deliver the Strategy to guide our collaborative efforts to build a comprehensive and compassionate system that will reduce the experience of suicidal distress and save lives.

“We are grateful to every person with lived and living experience of suicide who has shared their experiences and contributed to this Strategy.” 

 Dr Alan Woodward, NSPO Advisory Board Chair:

"This Strategy extends suicide prevention beyond the hospitals and mental health units...Contemporary evidence and lived experience informed suicide prevention demonstrates that we can work to prevent suicide much earlier.”  

Dr Alex Hains, A/Head, NSPO:

"For too long, we have seen an average of 9 precious lives lost to suicide every day in Australia and another 150 people who make an attempt to take their own life. The impacts of the loss of life, suicide attempts and suicidal distress on individuals, families and communities are devastating. By working together and using the best available evidence, there is reason to hope. Reason to believe we can change this."