Page 2323 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
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Dr Peter Norrie, the ACT’s Chief Psychiatrist, advises that the ACT should not set a numerical target because many of the factors that influence suicide lie beyond the influence of ACT Health or the ACT government. This advice is supported by Chief Psychiatrists in the other states and territories, including Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and respected researchers and clinicians in the field.
The small size of the ACT population makes meaningful target-setting difficult, particularly if raw numbers rather than rates are used. This also means there may be statistically misleading variations between years which, taken in isolation, may not accurately represent progress. Likewise, it would be difficult to provide trend results for specific population groups, for example, people discharged from psychiatric care, given the low numbers in the territory. The availability of timely and accurate data also impacts on our ability to regularly report on the territory’s suicide rates.
Considering all of these factors, I believe the most reliable indicator on which to base annual reporting on progress on suicide prevention should be data on deaths by intentional self-harm from the publication Causes of Death Australia, which is published annually by the ABS. This data can be regarded as reliable as it is based on finalised coronial determinations, though, for the same reason, it is two years behind the date of publication.
It is appropriate for the ACT to aspire to make a sustained reduction in the rate of suicide in the ACT by 2020. Progress will be measured using the five-year age standardised death rates for suicide deaths in the ACT, as reported annually in the ABS Causes of Death Australia.
In line with that aspiration, I advise the Assembly that Causes of Death Australia 2013 reports that the ACT age standardised rate of deaths by suicide for the period 2007-2011 was 9.9 per hundred thousand. This is lower than the Australian rate of 10.4. The ACT’s age standardised death rate for males in this period was 15.1 and females 4.7. These were lower than the Australian rates of 16.3 for males and 4.8 for females.
The same ABS report for 2014 shows the ACT’s age standardised rate of deaths by suicide for the period 2008-2012 was 9.1 per hundred thousand. This is, again, lower than the Australian rate of 10.8. The age standardised death rate for males in this period was 14.3 and females 4.2. These were lower than the Australian rates of 16.8 for males and 5.1 for females.
For the benefit of members, I am also tabling today a description of the range of crisis and non-crisis supports available to people at risk of suicide. A range of crisis and non-crisis services are available to Canberrans, including through Menslink, Carers ACT, Gugan Gulwan, Headspace and Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, providing very high quality services to people in need. There is also a range of evidence-based training programs available to both professionals and members of the ACT community who want to learn how they can best support people at risk of suicide.
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