Plan to reduce Indigenous suicides finally acknowledges lack of evidence and need for hope [TheConversation.com]

Last week the government released the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project report, which gave recommendations to reduce the high rate of suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Minister for Indigenous affairs Nigel Scullion said the government welcomed the report with a very heavy heart. And it is with a heavy heart I write this response.

There are many factors contributing to Indigenous suicide, occurring in a wide variety of contexts. This combination creates a major challenge for the report’s authors, who are to be commended for tackling what is one of the most tragic crises of our time.

No document can answer every question on Indigenous suicide, and this report doesn’t presume to do so. It does recognise that no two Indigenous suicides are identical, then skilfully identifies common themes for informing responses that have the potential to save lives.

[For more of this story, written by Anthony Dillon, go to https://theconversation.com/pl...amp;utm_medium=email]