National Suicide Prevention Office appoints 14 members to its Lived Experience Partnership Group

The National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO) has now appointed 14 members to its Lived Experience Partnership Group (LEPG).

The LEPG was established to ensure that people with a lived experience of suicide are partners in the work of the organisation, in line with the recommendations of the Final Advice.

The role of members is to provide expert advice to the Head of the NSPO to support the work of suicide prevention system reform.

Dr Michael Gardner, Head of the NSPO, said that the LEPG will play a critical role in helping to deliver lasting reform of the national suicide prevention system. The group will work alongside the NSPO Advisory Board as a key source of guidance.

Ina Mullin, Director of Partnerships and Engagement at the NSPO, said that the 14 members of the LEPG were selected from 182 expressions of interest received.

"The NSPO team was humbled by the incredible generosity of all the members of the community who submitted expressions of interest and were willing to utilise their own lived experience to contribute to developing a more compassionate and effective suicide prevention system," said Mullin.

Members have a range of lived experiences of suicide and leadership from many diverse perspectives. The group includes individuals identifying as young Australians, older Australians and people living with neurodiversity. There are representatives from Aboriginal, LGBTIQA+, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities, as well as people living with disabilities and chronic health challenges.