Suicide prevention plans for the gay and transgender community appear to have stalled and concerns are being raised as to why the State Government has yet to act.
Last month, Mental Health Minister Helen Morton announced no group or organisation had been signed up to develop a suicide prevention plan for LGBTI people in Western Australia.
OUTinPerth understands Gay and Lesbian Community Services have been in negotiations since March but have not been approved yet. In the Western Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2009-2013, it lists same-sex attracted youth and transgender youth as a ‘high-risk’ group. Research has shown same-sex attracted youth may be up to six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population while transgender youth are also more likely to attempt suicide.
The State Government tendered the roll out of the strategy to Centrecare, a not-for-profit, community services organisation.
Both the Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Greens Mental Health spokesperson have criticised the current strategy. Shadow Mental Health Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said she was not confident that the Government could roll out all 50 community action plans, including the LGBTI plan, by next year.
‘The government made a commitment at the last election that they would spend $13 million over four years on a suicide prevention strategy. Here we are nearly three years down the track and the rollout has been very slow,’ Ravlich said.
‘Much of the money hasn’t gone through to the areas that it should have got through, to the communities.’
The $13 million strategy was launched in September 2009 by the then Minister for Mental Health, Graham Jacobs. Since then a number of organisations have already begun implementing the Community Action Plans (CAPs) including the Australian Veterinary Association and the Roleystone community.
Greens Mental Health spokesperson Alison Xamon said it would be very concerning if there was further delay in the roll out of the LGBTI plan.
‘We’ve certainly been waiting a very long time for the strategy to be rolled out, it was identified in the early strategy document that LGBTI people were at risk,’ Xamon said.
‘This is not surprising considering the level of homophobia that people are subject to.
‘It’s really concerning that although LGBTI people have been identified as being considerably at higher risk of suicide than other people in the community, that we are yet to see any community group funded – receiving any funding from the state suicide strategy money in order to address this.’
‘We would already know that the other programs have begun funding so the obvious question is, if we have got a clearly identified at-risk group of people in the community, why also hasn’t this been funded?’
‘My understanding is that there are groups that are looking to get this funding that want to begin rolling out the suicide strategy now.
‘We’ve already had enough of a delay, it’s actually very concerning if there is any further delay for gay and lesbian people.
Mental Health Minister Helen Morton told OUTinPerth she too wanted the community action plan for the LGBTI community implemented soon.
‘I have asked that this proposal be refined to be in line with the strategy,’ Morton said.
‘I am keen for this to happen at the earliest possible time so a community action plan can be developed and implemented.’
Western Australian Association for Mental Health Executive Director Stephen Hall said one would hope the government was keen to support an organisation that was trying to develop a community action plan around suicide prevention for the LGBTI community, as it was identified as a high-risk group.
In July, the Federal Government announced it would invest over $1million into the MindOUT project, a mental health and suicide prevention strategy specifically for the LGBT community.
GLCS have taken the lead in negotiations since March but were unable to comment at the time of publication. OUTinPerth could not reach the One Life branch of Centrecare prior to publication deadline.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Salvo Care Line on 1300 36 36 22.
Benn Dorrington
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