‘Enough is enough’: 121 Indigenous Victorians have died by suicide in the past five years
The Victorian Aboriginal Health Organisation reports that 121 Indigenous Victorians have died by suicide in the last five years. The organization criticizes the state government for failing to implement key recommendations from a 2021 royal commission, including the establishment of cultural healing centers.
Why it matters
It highlights a significant failure in public policy and mental health service delivery for First Nations people in Australia.
‘These aren’t just figures we’re talking about, these are members of our families,’ says Victorian Aboriginal Health Organisation chief executive Jill Gallagher. Photograph: James Ross/AAP ‘These aren’t just figures we’re talking about, these are members of our families,’ says Victorian Aboriginal Health Organisation chief executive Jill Gallagher. Photograph: James Ross/AAP Indigenous Australians ‘Enough is enough’: 121 Indigenous Victorians have died by suicide in the past five years Royal commission recommended First Nations healing centres in 2021 but the Indigenous health service says the state has ‘done nothing’ to fund it
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Prefer the Guardian on Google On the steps of Victorian parliament stood 121 empty chairs, marking the number of Indigenous lives lost to suicide in the state in the past five years.
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