Arc Infrastructure has entered a new Principal Partnership with Lifeline WA to ensure crucial moments of connection occur for Western Australians experiencing a personal crisis, or thinking about suicide.
Arc’s new Principal Partnership with Lifeline WA, from 2024 to 2027, will be allocated towards the recruitment, training and deployment of 36 Lifeline WA Telephone Crisis Support Volunteers who will contribute to approximately 9,000 help seeker conversations over the duration of the sponsorship.
Lifeline WA wants to ensure people living in country Western Australia always have access to the crisis support they need following new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showing alarmingly high suicide rates in remote and regional areas.
The latest ABS Cause of Death report shows that within the five-year period between 2019-2023, suicide rates in remote Australia were double the rate recorded in Australian major cities.
The report cites substance abuse, the death of a loved one, problems in spousal relationships and legal problems as key suicide risk factors for Australians living in remote areas.
Lifeline WA Chief Executive Officer, Lorna MacGregor, said that the rates are particularly alarming considering that over 23% of West Australians reside in regional and remote areas.
“Rural Western Australians can face greater challenges due to increased social isolation, difficulty in accessing mental health support and severe drought conditions which can contribute to financial stress,”
“Breaking down the stigma associated with mental health and providing rural Western Australians with greater access to mental health support services can help reduce the rate of suicide,” said Lifeline WA CEO Lorna MacGregor.
Arc Infrastructure CEO, Murray Cook, said with employees across the Midwest, Central, Goldfields and South West regions the company understands how difficult it can be for people living outside the metropolitan area to access support and services.
“Western Australia is a vast state and some of our regional towns are quite small and remote which means isolation and distance from health services can be challenging,” Mr Cook said.
“We support Lifeline WA’s aim of ensuring nobody in Western Australia must walk alone when they are experiencing a crisis and this makes 24/7 access to trained professionals vital.
Mr Cook said the new partnership with Lifeline WA follows the launch of Arc Infrastructure's Track Mates peer supporters – a program which encourages staff to seek help if they are struggling with their mental health.
Track Mates launched earlier this year as a part of Arc Infrastructure’s Mentally Healthy Workplace initiative to arm staff members across the company with the necessary skills to support colleagues in need.
“We engaged Lifeline WA’s Workplace team to help us roll out training to raise awareness across the business and to train a group of 38 Track Mates through their highly effective Accidental Counsellor workshops,” Mr Cook said.
“These Track Mates will also receive quarterly refreshers throughout the year to ensure our employees are able to have important conversations with a safe person.”
Ms MacGregor said partnerships with companies like Arc Infrastructure are crucial to ensuring the suicide prevention agency can keep up with the growing demand for its crisis support services.
“We are very grateful that we have corporate partners that recognise that a vision of a Western Australia free of suicide can only ever be achieved when we work collaboratively to educate people and ensure there are mechanisms in place to save lives,” she said.
Lifeline’s 24/7 telephone crisis support service is available by calling 13 11 14, texting 0477 13 11 14 or Online Chat via
lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat
Call 000 (Emergency Services) if life is in danger.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide or experiencing a personal crisis - help is available. No one needs to face their problems alone.
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