National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035 launched
Today, on Kuarna Country in Adelaide, in partnership with the Australian government, Gayaa Dhuwi officially launched the renewed National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy (NATSISPS).
Led by Gayaa Dhuwi, the renewal of the 2013 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy has been overseen by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Governance Committee and a Steering Committee.
The renewal involved a thorough consultation process, including inviting submissions against a discussion paper, hosting 13 roundtables with over 150 stakeholders, and inviting submissions against a Draft Strategy.
A thematic analysis was undertaken on the outputs of this consultation process and informed the development of the now renewed NATSISPS, identifying six priorities built on those identified in The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project (ATSISPEP):
Leadership and self-determination
Thriving communities
Informed and supportive communities
Culturally safe, accessible, targeted, and coordinated care
Responsive workforce
Evidence and data
For the Strategy to deliver meaningful and sustainable outcomes, three enabling factors are required to create the appropriate environment for the priorities and initiatives to be implemented and sustained. These are:
Sustained, flexible, and targeted funding,
Effective implementation, and
Governance, monitoring, and evaluation.
This renewed strategy is built on the foundation of listening to those most affected by suicide and mental health challenges, and it draws on the collective wisdom and resilience of Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander peoples, at the heart of it is the commitment to community-led solutions.
The NATSISPS and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy share an overarching goal of reducing suicide rates, however, their approaches and focuses differ. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face unique challenges in the context of mental health and suicide, shaped by cultural, historical, and systemic factors. These challenges require tailored approaches that are culturally informed and sensitive.
The National Suicide Prevention Strategy provides a broad framework for all Australians, whereas the NATSISPS is specifically tailored towardsAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, emphasising culturally responsive and community-led initiatives.
We have been working with the National SuicidePrevention Office to ensure alignment between the NATSISPS and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy as they will be most effective implemented alongside each other.
This preventive approach must be driven through an equity lens that recognises the disproportionate impact of structural barriers and inequalities across society and how these disparities contribute to suicidal distress, prioritising efforts to address them.
Now that the NATSISPS has been launched, its principles and actions will be rolled out across communities over the coming months and years. As this happens, it will be crucial that we continue to engage with and support those communities to lead the change, remembering that each community is unique, and support provided must be tailored to fit their needs.
We need to ensure that the programs we implement are having a real, tangible impact, requiring ongoing evaluation, feedback, and adaptability. We must also ensure that suicide prevention efforts are not just fleeting programs but sustainable, long-term solutions. This means securing stable funding, strengthening workforce capacity, and making sure that the systems we put in place are designed to last.
We must also continue to invest in improved data collection and research to better inform our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention, allowing us to improve how we track and measure progress, and work towards refining our strategies, ensuring that they remain relevant and effective.
At Gayaa Dhuwi we envision a future where every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person are able to live a full, healthy, and meaningful life, free from suicide as we work towards achieving the highest attainable standard of social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.