Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ludwig representing both the Minister for Indigenous Health and the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing. My question relates to the government's response to the tragic incidence of youth suicide in Indigenous communities. This has recently been highlighted by the Northern Territory inquiry into youth suicide. Unfortunately, this problem is not a new phenomenon. In June 2010 the Senate Community Affairs References Committee report The hidden toll: suicide in Australia acknowledged these issues. In September 2011 the government appointed a new advisory group to develop a specific suicide prevention strategy for Indigenous communities. I am asking about the progress of the work of the new Indigenous suicide prevention advisory group and, in particular, when will the specific Indigenous suicide prevention strategy be publicly available? What is the proposed time line for the roll out of that strategy? How will it be funded?