THE threats of suicide for those living regionally significantly increased in 2020 compared to those living in Australian cities, according to the results of a survey by the national peak body Suicide Prevention Australia.
Results from an online survey of 1026 adults in late July showed while the threat of the cost of living and personal debt increased by four per cent in regional areas from 2019 to 2020, the number actually decreased by one per cent for city dwellers.
In the wake of COVID-19, the threat of drugs and alcohol for those living regionally also increased by 5pc while their city-based counterparts saw no increase in the same threat.
Releasing the regional-specific results earlier this month, the report also stated that 66pc of four million Australians affected by suicide lived outside of the city limits.
Suicide Prevention Australia chief executive officer Nieves Murray said the organisation supported the introduction of a standalone National Suicide Prevention Act that took a whole-of-government and, not just a mental health approach.
"I live in our regions and you only have to look around and see that global disasters like COVID-19 hit our local economies, communities and services harder and faster than our capital cities," Ms Murray said.
"The better we can proactively predict what economic and social risks are facing our regional and rural communities, the better we can prepare Australians and prevent suicide rates increasing."
Ms Murray said international evidence said a standalone approach was the best option.
On a positive note she said that regional Australians had accessed suicide prevention services at the same rate as city dwellers.
Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), which works with government, business and philanthropists to improve the lives of those living in rural, regional and remote Australia, recently offered grants of up to $20,000 in its In A Good Place (IAGP) program to support mental health projects for those living in regional and remote communities.
With 60 applications received, the successful grant recipients will be announced in the third week of November.
FRRR chief executive officer Natalie Egleton told Farm Weekly a variety of innovative, locally-driven projects and programs had been put forward for the IAGP grant program and the "singular or accumulative impacts of long term, disruptive events such as drought, bushfire and COVID-19 were evident".
"Key themes have been community and personal resilience, mental health awareness and wellbeing, and supporting strong social connections and participation," Ms Egleton said.
Ms Egleton said the organisation had seen the most impact made when support was provided at a grassroots level.
"We know that each community has different needs and that local leaders are best placed when it comes to finding ways of supporting the mental health of the people in their community," she said.
"At FRRR, we work with government and philanthropy partners to help fund locally-led initiatives and place-based activities in order to get the right support where it's needed."
With rural, regional and remote regions of Australia directly impacted by drought, bushfires, cyclones or flooding and the impacts of a changing climate, Ms Egleton said the last year had amplified the uncertainty and insecurity these communities were experiencing.
"From our work with these communities, we know that they look at things like tourism and exports to help with the financial deficit caused by these natural disasters," Ms Egleton said.
"But COVID-19 has essentially wiped out this source of financial security for these places and their people, including farmers."
Ms Egleton said working to reduce social isolation by bringing people together was a way in which communities could support the mental wellbeing of their residents.
Highlighting WA projects that had received FRRR funding in Condingup, Wongan Hills and Mingenew, the local projects selected by FRRR helped support opportunities for social connection.
FRRR's Tackling Tough Times Together (TTTT) and Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) programs are year-round grants programs that both fund projects designed to support the mental health of those living regionally.
"This funding has gone towards supporting projects like a skatepark at the local Recreation Reserve (Condingup TTTT grant), weekly cooking and life skills workshops (Wongan Hills SRC grant) and mental health workshops for men in the Mid West region of WA (Mingenew SRC grant)," Ms Egleton said.
- For 24 hours/day, seven days/week help call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or RuralLink (a specialist after-hours mental health telephone service for WA rural communities) on freecall 1800 552 002.
