Lifeline WA wants to ensure people living in country Western Australia always have access to the crisis support they need following new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing alarmingly high suicide rates in remote and regional areas. 

The latest ABS Cause of Death report shows that within the five-year period between 2019-2023, suicide rates in remote Australia were double the rate recorded in Australian major cities.

The report cites substance abuse, the death of a loved one, problems in spousal relationships and legal problems as key suicide risk factors for Australians living in remote areas.

Lifeline WA Chief Executive Officer, Lorna MacGregor, said that the rates are particularly alarming considering that over 23% of West Australians reside in regional and remote areas.

“Rural Western Australians can face greater challenges due to increased social isolation, difficulty in accessing mental health support and severe drought conditions which can contribute to financial stress,” 

“Breaking down the stigma associated with mental health and providing rural Western Australians with greater access to mental health support services can help reduce the rate of suicide,” said Lifeline WA CEO Lorna MacGregor. 

In response to the crisis, Arc Infrastructure which has 50 per cent of its workforce in regional Western Australia has committed $50,000 per annum over the next three years to help Lifeline WA recruit and train more Volunteer Crisis Supporters.

The much-needed contribution from the company which manages more than five thousand kilometers of rail freight network across the State will enable Lifeline WA to add 36 more trained Telephone Crisis Supporters to their team of dedicated volunteers.

Arc Infrastructure CEO, Murray Cook, said with employees across the Midwest, Goldfields and South West the company understands how difficult it can be for people living outside the metropolitan area to access support and services.

“Western Australia is a vast state and some of our regional towns are quite small and remote which means isolation and distance from health services can be challenging,” he said.

“We support Lifeline WA’s aim of ensuring nobody in Western Australia must walk alone when they are experiencing a crisis and this makes 24/7 access to trained professionals vital.

“According to Lifeline WA our funding will deliver over 9,000 help seeker conversations and we see this as a truly valuable investment in saving lives,” he said.

Mr Cook said the new partnership with Lifeline WA follows the launch of Arc Infrastructure's Track Mates peer supporters – a program which encourages staff to seek help if they are struggling with their mental health.

Track Mates launched earlier this year as a part of Arc Infrastructure’s Mentally Healthy Workplace initiative to arm staff members across the company with the necessary skills to support colleagues in need.

“We engaged Lifeline WA’s Workplace team to help us roll out training to raise awareness across the business and to train a group of 38 Track Mates through their highly effective Accidental Counsellor workshops.” he said.

“These Track Mates will also receive quarterly refreshers throughout the year to ensure our employees are able to have important conversations with a safe person.”

Ms MacGregor said partnerships with companies like Arc Infrastructure are crucial to ensuring the suicide prevention agency can keep up with the growing demand for its crisis support services.

“We are very grateful that we have corporate partners that recognise that a vision of a Western Australia free of suicide can only ever be achieved when we work collaboratively to educate people and ensure there are mechanisms in place to save lives,” she said.

Lifeline’s 24/7 telephone crisis support service is available on 13 11 14 text 0477 13 11 14 online chat lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat 

Media contact:  

Caitlyn Maher, The PR Collaborative, caitlyn@theprcollaborative.com.au 0426 221 310