Fed: Australian suicide statistics drop for third year

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2001
Fed: Australian suicide statistics drop for third year

MELBOURNE, Dec 12 AAP - Australians must not become complacent about youth suicide
despite a drop in numbers for the third successive year, a youth help organisation said
today.

Here For Life executive director Andrew Kay said figures released this week by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the number of youth suicides in Australia
last year was 338, compared to 380 for the previous year.

"We need to be vigilant, really, not to be complacent, to continue to work hard at
reducing rates even further," Mr Kay said.

"Even one loss of life is one too many.

"And on a world scale we are still very high. For males aged 15 to 24, we are number
10 in the world."

Mr Kay said young Australians in rural communities were still having problems accessing
counselling and information.

"The youth suicide rate has been noticeably higher in rural communities where there
is a population of less than 4,000," he said.

Mr Kay said figures had dropped in the major population centres in both Victoria and
NSW since 1997, largely because Australia's largest youth suicide prevention groups were
active in those regions.

AAP db/szp/gfr/las/br

KEYWORD: SUICIDE

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