Tackling the root causes of distress, such as childhood abuse, alcohol and drug-related harm and intimate partner violence, are at the heart of an all-encompassing approach to eliminating suicide in Australia.
Improving wellbeing in the community and increased supports for people affected by suicide form part of a draft national prevention strategy released by the federal government.
The strategy dictates a whole-of-society effort to root out socio-economic stresses that lead to suicidal ideation, as well as specific measures to improve access to mental health services.
The five areas of wellbeing it seeks to improve are safety, good health, economic security, social inclusion and navigating life transitions.
While there are no simple fixes to addressing suicide, the nation will band together to eradicate the scourge, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vowed.
"No one should feel that life’s burdens, whatever form they take, are theirs to shoulder on their own," he told a World Suicide Prevention Day breakfast on Tuesday.
"We will find the answers together with our hearts open and our hands extended."
One in four Australians aged between 18 and 24 had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, a Suicide Prevention Australia report revealed.
Three in four adults also had higher than normal levels of distress, up slightly compared to a year ago.
About half of adults put cost of living and personal debt as a reason for this while family and relationship breakdowns, housing access and affordability, unemployment and loneliness were also pointed to as factors.
The steps outlined in the draft strategy were headed in the right direction but the government needed to set it in stone through legislation, said Suicide Prevention Australia chief executive Nieves Murray.
"We can't just look at suicide prevention through the lens of mental health," she said.
"Not only is it a whole of government and governments approach, but it's also a whole of community approach. We all have a role to play."
A Suicide Prevention Act, similar to legislation imposed in South Australia and NSW, would require policy proposals to consider their impact on people's mental health before they can be enacted, Ms Murray said.
Such a framework could have prevented the implementation of the robodebt scheme, which drove people to suicide, she said.
That some 55,000 Australians attempted suicide each year and it was the leading cause of death for men aged between 15 and 44 showed there was still considerable work to do, including reducing stigma, independent senator David Pocock said.
"We need both cultural change and better access to mental health support services," he told AAP.
"Clearly this needs a whole-of-government approach to preventing suicide ... whether that’s the justice system, the health system, the housing system or the social services system."
Suicide prevention service Lifeline Australia urged Australians to familiarise themselves with tools and resources they can use to help out loved ones in a crisis.
"Behind every statistic there is a person," said the organisation's chief executive Colin Seery.
"Every life lost is a tragedy that has a devastating impact on families, workplaces and communities."
The number of men who experienced suicidal behaviour ticked up slightly to 15 per cent compared to May 2024 but promisingly had still dropped four percentage points since August 2023, according to Suicide Prevention Australia.
There has been a slight decrease in men who made a suicide plan and Australians under 50 were more likely to have experienced such thoughts, the report found.
The online survey polled just over 1050 adults in August.
Consultations for the draft strategy are open until October 27.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
