Lifeline Welcomes Blank-Page Communique

Release date: 19 Aug 2009

Lifeline Australia has today welcomed the Communiqué from the Blank-Page Summit as an important step towards Indigenous suicide prevention.

The Communiqué is a call to action for the prevention of suicide in Indigenous communities, where suicide rates are as much as four times higher than in the non-Indigenous population. The call to action by the Billard Aboriginal community comes following the Blank-Page Summit held in July, in the Kimberley.

“One important element of the call to action is the belief that fundamentally, suicide is preventable,”Lifeline General Manager Alan Woodward said today.

This closely mirrors the ethos of Lifeline, where we also truly believe this basic principle. That’s why we are so focused on ensuring suicide prevention becomes an important and significant social agenda in this country.

We all have a part to play in suicide prevention, and connecting people with care.”

Lifeline is now looking forward to working closely with the entire community, especially Indigenous people, to help implement this important plan.

The call to action outlines important steps aimed at helping Australians focus on suicide-proof communities, training families to be families and encouraging self care through a staged approach.

“These messages are not only very important for Indigenous communities, but for everyone in this country. Everyone can learn from, and participate in, this call to action to help reduce and prevent suicide in our own regions.”

Lifeline is asking people to support them to help prevent suicide in Indigenous communities, by going to www.lifeline.org.au/makeyourmark and creating a hand print. For every hand created, the NRL is donating one dollar to Lifeline’s Indigenous suicide prevention programs (up to $15,000).

For more information on the Blank-Page Summit go to http://www.blankpagesummit.com.au

For further information or comment contact:
Chris Wagner, Lifeline Australia, 02 6215 9446 or 0434 378 939
Kari Kristiansen, Billard Aboriginal Community, 0418 249 586

Media Contact: Chris Wagner (ph: 0434 378 939)