News And Media:

Preventing youth suicide

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: July 4, 2011

Monday 4 July 2011

Report on early intervention programs aimed at preventing youth suicide

Suicide accounts for the deaths of one quarter of men aged under 25 and also one in seven young women

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing today released its report on youth suicide emphasising the need for greater support of early intervention measures to reduce rates of youth suicide.

Committee Chair Steve Georganas MP said “Regrettably, suicide still accounts for almost one quarter of all deaths among young men in Australia under the age of 25 years, and almost one in seven deaths among young women. However, evidence to the inquiry suggests that measures taken by successive governments have seen the rate of youth suicide decline since 1997.”

“In undertaking this investigation, the Committee was keen to learn more about how reductions in the rate of youth suicide have been achieved, and to identify what else can be done to continue this downward trend.”

The Committee’s inquiry was informed by roundtable discussions with young people, and with a range of organisations which promote mental health, well-being and resilience among young people. In its report titled ‘Before it’s too late’, the Committee has made a number of recommendations which broadly cover:

  • increasing mental health literacy among young people to help them to better recognise when they need help, and to encourage them to seek that help;
  • more training for professional staff that have regular contact with young people to assist them to better recognise early warning signs and make appropriate referrals;
  • promotion of collaboration across governments and organisations to improve the availability and access to services for young people who are experiencing difficulties; and
  • improvements to data collection, research and evaluation to inform best-practice.

Mr Georganas concluded “The courage shown by the young people who interacted with the Committee, sharing their experiences and discussing a range of complex and sensitive issues, exemplifies a level of resilience and determination that we need to encourage and foster. I hope that the recommendations made in the report will enhance collaboration and improve access to services to combat one of the major causes of death among young Australians.”

Copies of the report are now available at the Committee’s website here.

Posted in news | Comments closed

Mary Victor O’Reeri ‘talking suicide’ on SBS Insight

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: June 8, 2011

Have a look at Mary Victor O’Reeri speaking about suicide with Professor Pat McGorry and others on SBS Insight program here.

Appearing on Insight also was Jealea Skehan, Program Manager – Mindframe Media and Mental Health (MMMH) Project at the Hunter Institute of Mental Health. Click Mindframe News – Issue 15 (July 2011) to read an article about Mary’s thoughts on suicide, Indigenous communities and the media. Billard Learning Centre is delighted that Jaelea and another colleague from the Mindframe Project team are joining the Blank Page Summit Hard Yarn Youth Mob 2011.

Posted in news | Comments closed

VISITING HALLS CREEK AND FITZROY CROSSING – Sisters on the road!

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: June 7, 2011

In May 2011 we travelled to Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing to talk about ‘hard yarns’ and visit countrymen.

At Koongie Park Station, we were so happy to visit Nanna Sarah Gordon and other members of the Gordon family.

Mary Victor O'Reeri, Nanna Sarah Gordon, Madeline Gordon, Janine Gordon - Koongie Park via Halls Creek (East Kimberley)

Koongie Park Station - the home of Nanna Sarah Gordon and the Gordon family, via Halls Creek, East Kimberley

At Fitzroy Crossing, we received a warm welcome from Maureen Carter and staff including Emily Carter and Patrick Davies. Maureen, Emily and Patrick – thanks for an inspirational time in your company at Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services. Keep up the wonderful work for the people of Fitzroy Valley!

Madeline Gordon, Maureen Carter, Emily Carter, Mary Victor O'Reeri at Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services, Fitzroy Crossing WA (May 2011)

Posted in news | Comments closed

“Filling a blank page on the Kimberley emergency”

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: May 10, 2011

A young Aboriginal person dies by suicide almost every week in WA’s Kimberley region but it is a story of life, not death’ that Mary Victor O’Reeri tells.

Read Mary’s interview on 6 May 2011 on ABC Online here.

Posted in news | Comments closed

The right to a job

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: May 8, 2011

In his Pastoral Letter for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker on 1 May 2011, Bishop Christopher Saunders, Chairman – Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, writes of the “high unemployment (which) undermines living conditions, drains communities of basic services and robs future generations of opportunities the majority of us take for granted”.

Bishop Saunders concludes the letter by inviting us to “consider how we can help our Indigenous brothers and sisters achieve the most basic form of social justice: the right to a job”.

Posted in news | Comments closed

Macklin vows ‘concrete’ action on Aboriginal reform

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: April 28, 2011
Patricia Karvelas
The Australian April 28, 2011

Min Jenny Macklin with Mums and Bubs in Balgo (26 April 2011)

Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has declared the government will never shy away from bold reform for indigenous Australians and will deliver the “concrete” things called for by Aborigines who are finding their own solutions to deep-rooted problems.

Ms Macklin said that, under her leadership, she would continue with policies that put personal responsibility and obligation at the centre of reform.

Her comments came after former ALP national president Warren Mundine lambasted the Gillard government’s approach to indigenous affairs, saying symbolism had replaced action at the coalface.

In an interview in The Australian yesterday, he called on the government to withdraw the $30 million funding for the new indigenous representative body, saying the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples was a waste of money and would do nothing to improve Aboriginal lives. Ms Macklin said yesterday: “What I’m on about in response to the comments that have been made is delivering concrete action on the ground in response to needs that are identified by Aboriginal people in their communities.”

Ms Macklin has said the government would continue to fund the congress but warned that its effectiveness was based on its ability to represent a diversity of indigenous views. “The important thing about the congress is to recognise that we’ve established for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a voice in national policy making and I look forward to the congress providing that voice and to make sure that it represents the wide range of views Aboriginal people have on very important policy issues,” she told The Australian yesterday.

“It is important that we build responsibility and this is a very significant move to encourage and support that responsibility.”

Speaking from Balgo in Western Australia, Ms Macklin said she had just decided to grant a request from the remote indigenous community to fund a mums-and-babies group because the children had barely any books or toys.

She said she had also met young people who argued they needed a youth centre because “if you’re bored you get into trouble”.

Ms Macklin said ensuring young people did not languish with nothing to do was at the centre of the government’s strategy. “What I and the government are on about is delivering with and for Aboriginal people and I think the best way to demonstrate that is through concrete action,” she said.

Ms Macklin said she was invited to Balgo by the local people after a series of suicides in the community.

She said locals had decided to address the serious issues in their community. “They wanted to tell me about that directly,” she added.

Ms Macklin said the community would hold a summit next February with the theme of “celebrating life” and recognising the devastation of suicide.

Mary O'Reeri, Sr Alice Dempsey, Tauri D'Eatough (Balgo) (April, 2011)

Click Balgo playgroup.Media Release.28.04.11.

Posted in news | Comments closed

Summit 2011 applications

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: April 24, 2011

When we set the closing date for applications of 30 April 2011, we didn’t know there’d be devastating floods in East Kimberley, an extended Easter holiday period due to Anzac Day and a busy schedule of activities for Billard Learning Centre throughout WA.

We have now concluded Round 1 of applications comprising just over 120 successful registrations. We’re pleased to advise that the deadline for Round 2 applications is  27 May 2011. This is the final round where we focus on national outreach to invite applications for the remaining 30 places. We urge anybody keen to join Summit 2011 to move quickly as the clock is ticking …………….

Posted in news | Comments closed

Billard kids learn tennis from a real Aussie Champion!

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: April 23, 2011

It’s not every day you meet a real champion ….. let alone learn from them what they do best.

Here’s the Billard kids at the O’Neil Tennis Camp in Cessnock with Christine O’Neil, 1978 Australian Open Tennis Champion – the last Aussie woman to win the coveted Aussie Open Crown and one of only two unseeded female players to do so (the other player is Serena Williams).

The Billard kids – Dane-o, Nara, Krisha, Montana and Quarnah – with big kids Tasha and Lana, travelled to Cessnock for ten days of tennis and fun together.  Group Captain was Tauri D’Eatough who made sure every detail was taken care of – if you’ve been to a Blank Page Summit, you’ll know Tauri is an organisational legend.

“We loved every minute of it. We went to the zoo in Sydney on the ferry too” said Dane-o.

“We never went on a train before in our whole life” was Nara’s comment about State Rail!

“I was absolutely chuffed to bring tennis to the doorstep of the Kimberley here in Cessnock!” said Chris.

Thanks, Chris – you’re a true champ – see you at the Blank Page Summit in July! 

Top: Montana, Chris, Quarnah, Nara and Below: Dane-o and Krisha (O'Neil Tennis Camp - April, 2011)

Posted in news | Comments closed

Meeting with Minister Warren Snowdon

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: April 23, 2011

Thanks to Minister Warren Snowdon, Minister for Indigenous Health (Cth) for setting aside time to meet with Stephen Victor Snr, Mary Victor O’Reeri and Kari Kristiansen in Perth on Thursday 14 April 2011.

“It was really wonderful to meet Warren Snowdon – he speaks our language, that’s for sure” said Stephen.

Thanks to Nicole O’Keefe, WA State Manager (Department of Health and Ageing) for arranging the meeting.

Meeting with Minister Warren Snowdon (21 April 2011)

Posted in news | Comments closed

State Suicide Prevention Strategy fast-tracked in the Kimberley

By Billard Learning Centre | Published: March 14, 2011

Fri 11 March, 2011
Hon Helen Morton MLC

Minister for Mental Health; Disability Services (WA)

Mental Health Minister Helen Morton today announced $1.36million funding to fast-track the State Suicide Prevention Strategy in the Kimberley.
 
The $1.36million will fund essential back-up staff in response to the current suicide emergency and start a sustainable long-term suicide prevention plan for the region.
 
Mrs Morton said the team of mental health professionals, who had worked tirelessly providing 24-hour counselling to families and communities recently bereaved by suicide in the East and West Kimberley regions, would be strengthened and supported by 11 additional temporary staff.
 
The State Government, through the Mental Health Commission, and the WA Country Health Service will provide $560,000 for temporary staff.
 
The additional temporary positions include five staff at the Kimberley Regional Mental Health and Drug Service; three to Kinway for the regional Standby Suicide Response Strategy; two at the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service; and one at the Derby Aboriginal Health Service.
 
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council (KAMSC) will receive $800,000 to fund four community co-ordinators to work in the Wyndham and East Kimberley region; Fitzroy Crossing and West Kimberley; Broome; Derby; and Halls Creek for an initial 12 months to develop Community Action Plans (CAPs) to suicide-proof communities.
 
The Minister said the CAPs would be uniquely created and owned by each community to reflect their own culturally-specific needs and be developed through a process of community engagement with individuals, families, communities and Aboriginal organisations.
 
“The plan’s aim is to increase the training, skills and capacity of local communities to recognise people at risk of suicide, to help prevent suicide and reduce the harm caused by suicide,” Mrs Morton said.
 
In her first visit to Broome since becoming the Mental Health Minister, Mrs Morton said she was deeply saddened by the tragedies and had taken a personal interest in improving strategies to prevent suicide in the region.  She wanted to hear first-hand from families, residents and health and community workers about local needs.
 
“I want to personally thank the many people who have been supporting the families during this crisis by providing services for mental health and social and emotional wellbeing,” she said.
 
“I also want to listen to the views of people on-the-ground about how best to build a partnership between government agencies, non-government bodies and local communities to make them suicide-proof.”
 
The Minister acknowledged the State’s collaboration with the federal departments of Health and Ageing; Families; Housing; Community Services; and Indigenous Affairs as part of the Remote Services Delivery partnership in the Kimberley.
 
The $13million State Suicide Prevention Strategy aims to develop 50 Community Action Plans across Western Australia by mid-2012 by supporting and resourcing dedicated grassroots teams to suicide-proof their communities.

Listen to Minister Morton’s Broome speech.

Posted in news | Comments closed

Billard Learning Centre

Billard Aboriginal Community

Dampier Peninsula

Kimberley WA