SUICIDE PREVENTION — KIMBERLEY
355. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the statement by the
parliamentary secretary for health yesterday regarding the Kimberley suicide
prevention round table, which outlined that a preliminary response to the
coroner's report will not be published until later this year.
(1) What interim
strategies is the government putting in place to support the community, engage
with the community and ensure further tragedies do not occur?
(2) What is the indicative month
that the government response will be released?
(3) Has the
Department of the Premier and Cabinet's Aboriginal Affairs Coordinating
Committee met to discuss the concerns raised by the round table and the coroner's
report; and, if yes, please table the minutes from those meetings?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
(1) The
government is committed to preventing and responding to youth suicide and works
closely with local services in the Kimberley so that young people and their
families can access services and support. The government is continuing a number
of initiatives to address Aboriginal youth suicide, including the Statewide
Specialist Aboriginal Mental Health Service, the Mental Health Commission's
suicide prevention coordinators and Aboriginal family wellbeing project, the
Department of Education's schools response program, and the suicide
prevention grants program also administered by the Mental Health Commission.
The state has also engaged with the Kimberley suicide prevention trial working
group on the improvement of services delivered in the region.
(2) The
government has not yet settled on a specific release date; however, work is
being progressed. A briefing can be provided to the member once the response is
settled.
(3) The Aboriginal
Affairs Coordinating Committee has been briefed on the whole-of-government
response to the coroner's report and
will discuss the concerns raised by the round table at the next scheduled
meeting in June.