In the lead-up to the 2025 Federal Election, I speak not just as a voter, but as someone who has witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of suicide on First Nations families.
Suicide continues to devastate our communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples die by suicide at more than twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, suicide was the leading cause of death for First Nations people aged 15-44 years between 2017 and 2021.
Despite national strategies and repeated commitments to Closing the Gap, the disparity in mental health outcomes remains stubbornly wide. In 2023, First Nations peoples accounted for 5.3% of all suicides nationally, while comprising just 3.8% of the population.
The 2024 Closing the Gap Annual Report acknowledges these enduring disparities, pledging expanded investment in Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) services and culturally grounded healing initiatives. Yet, on the ground, the grief deepens. Our communities continue to call for urgent, systemic reform – reform that centres cultural safety, lived experience, and First Nations-led solutions.
It is not enough to promise funding without committing to truly community-led initiatives that are designed alongside those with lived experience. While Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) play an essential role, they are not the only pathway. Some First Nations people experiencing mental health challenges hesitate to access community services, held back by shame, fear, stigma, or uncertainty about their rights. Healing must be built on trust, accessibility, and cultural understanding across all service environments.
There is now an opportunity – and a responsibility – for political leaders to act.
The Australian Greens have committed to embedding suicide prevention as a whole-of-government responsibility through a proposed National Suicide Prevention Act. Their platform also includes dedicated funding for culturally safe SEWB services and support for self-determined, community-led initiatives.
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has committed to expanding funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and suicide prevention, backing the recommendations of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Labor has pledged to increase investment in First Nations aftercare programs and support the growth of the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector.
In contrast, the Liberal-National Coalition (LNP) has made minimal new commitments in this space. While acknowledging existing Closing the Gap targets, the Coalition’s response lacks detail on how it will expand culturally safe mental health services or invest in new community-led suicide prevention initiatives.
This election offers a clear choice for voters who want to see real progress in closing the mental health gap.
The parties’ policy commitments, compiled by ANTAR in our Election Scorecard, reveal that while there is momentum, promises alone will not close the gap. Real progress will only come if political will is matched by long-term investment in culturally safe, trauma-informed, community-led solutions that meet people where they are.
First Nations communities also demand that lived experience leadership is placed at the heart of policy design. Those who have walked through grief, those who have survived suicide attempts, and those who support healing every day – must be empowered to lead the way forward.
The 2025 Federal Election must be a turning point.
It must deliver enduring commitments that address the root causes of mental health inequity, and not just their symptoms.
We cannot allow another election cycle to pass without meaningful change.
Our lives are not to be used as political pawns.
Our grief is not negotiable.
It is time to move beyond promises – and close the gap in mental health outcomes once and for all.
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Photo supplied by Nyoka, in loving memory of Theresa, AJ and Raine.
