A new Indigenous suicide prevention data project will help ensure that suicide prevention initiatives and services can be more targeted to communities and individuals most at-risk.

The project, due for completion in June 2022, is being delivered by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) following a $1.8 million investment from the National Indigenous Australians Agency. It will contribute to a better understanding of the risk factors in different parts of the country.

Suicide prevention is a national priority and this project is a critical step in working towards zero suicides.

The new data project will help identify more of the underlying factors that lead to suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and provide a more complete picture of this complex issue.

The project will build the evidence base by mapping suicide prevalence over time by age and sex, analysing risk factors and examining the availability of prevention and support services. It will also investigate different data collections to see how they can be enhanced and what more they can tell us about risk factors.

The monitoring and mapping of prevention information will help focus the Government’s efforts to where investments can make the biggest difference.

The project will complement and inform current national mental health and suicide prevention data initiatives led by AIHW, including the development of the National Suicide and Self Harm Monitoring System.