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SA introduces nation-leading suicide prevention legislation
In an Australian-first, the South Australian government has introduced laws on suicide prevention that will focus on reducing the number of deaths and deliver best practice prevention strategies across the state.
Naomi Neilson
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade last week introduced the nation-leading, first-of-its-kind laws on suicide prevention to parliament as a result of extensive stakeholder and community consultation. In addition to prevention, it seeks to establish a statutory body to build on the work of an existing council.
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Commenting on the new legislation, Mr Wade said: “I am proud to be part of a government introducing legislation that is the first of its kind for any jurisdiction in Australia and will set a precedent for how suicide prevention is addressed.
“This bill aims to reduce the incidence of suicide in South Australia and to deliver best practice suicide prevention strategies across the state. It represents a ground-breaking approach to address one of our community’s most challenging issues.”
Following the drafting of the bill, there was significant community and stakeholder consultation held over many months. This was in addition to eight weeks of public consultation, webinars, and letters from individuals and organisations.
Premier’s advocate for suicide prevention and community resilience, Dan Cregan, said the bill demonstrates the government’s “real commitment to reducing deaths.
“This bill provides a mechanism for community members, including those with lived experience and those in priority population groups at higher risk of suicide, to drive change in policy to reduce the incidence of suicide in South Australia.”
Help is available. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Respect on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Each law society and bar association also has further contacts available on their respective websites.
