On the Line Australia is proud to announce the launch of our ambitious strategic plan for 2023-2028. This plan is a testament to our unwavering commitment to preventing suicide and supporting mental health across Australia. It represents a comprehensive roadmap for our organisation, outlining our vision, purpose, and principles, as well as the strategic focus areas that will guide us in the years to come. Our vision is for a society free from suicide, psychological distress, and family violence, where everyone can access the support they need to promote good mental health, connection to commun ..read more

As the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases the Causes of Death data for 2021, we reflect on those we have lost and resolve to continue working with the suicide prevention sector and our communities to reduce the suicide rate. Before we look at the data, On the Line wants to acknowledge that each number in the ABS report represents a person and a life. And for each person, there are families, friends, colleagues, and communities who are impacted and may be in pain and struggling with their loss. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to one of On the Line’s phone ..read more

It has been another challenging year for Australians in 2021, many facing extensive lockdowns through the COVID-19 pandemic and enduring the impacts of flash floods. There was an increased focus on mental health support in our communities during this time and On the Line has played a significant role in providing these services. The Australian Bureau of Statistics also released the first insights from the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020-21. Their research highlighted key data in the areas of psychological distress, use of mental health services and aspects of wellbeing. Insi ..read more

As Australia gradually opens up and life is transitioning to ‘living with COVID’, On the Line is looking at the trends across our counselling services during the first quarter of this financial year.   Our counselling services had steady demand Overall, inbound counselling calls and online chats to our services remained relatively consistent each month. However, we did see increases across two areas: MensLine had an 11% increase in calls received during August 2021 compared to the previous month. Our suicide prevention services had a 7% increase in calls received during September 2021 co ..read more

World Mental Health Day is on 10 October. It is an opportunity for all of us to pause and take time to prioritise our mental health. When we prioritise our mental health and wellbeing, we can better cope with the changes, stressors and uncertainty in our lives. Over the last year and a half, many of us had to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our day-to-day lives. There has been uncertainty, lockdowns, financial stress, loneliness and social isolation, adjusting to home schooling and remote working, and fear of the unknown – all of which can negatively impact our mental health ..read more

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Causes of Death data has reported a decrease in the number of suicide deaths from 3,318 deaths in 2019 to 3,139 deaths in 2020. The national suicide rate at 12.1 per 100,000 people is the lowest since 2016. In 2020, suicide was the 15th leading cause of death. Across genders, there were 2,384 male suicide deaths (18.6 per 100,000) and 755 female deaths (5.8 per 100,000). The Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory saw increases in the number of suicide deaths, while all other jurisdictions had a decrease. Suicide is complex, and there are o ..read more

[BEGINS] A Serious Breach of Our Values The submission of inflated figures to the Victorian Government in relation to Suicide Line Victoria is a serious breach of trust and a failure to uphold our values as a mental health service provider. We sincerely apologise to our funders, staff and the community for what has happened. We believe the misconduct occurred due to a failure of governance, which is why we are choosing to be upfront about what went wrong and how we are going to solve it. In November last year, the board of directors at On the Line received a serious allegation of misreporting ..read more

The National Suicide Prevention Adviser, Christine Morgan, has delivered the Final Advice report that addresses suicide prevention in Australia. The National Suicide Prevention Advisers Final Report[1] was informed through discussions and consultation with several key stakeholders, including people with lived experience, suicide prevention and mental health organisations, government departments, Primary Health Networks, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and members of the Adviser’s Expert Advisory Group. The Final Advice report calls for a focus on prevention and early intervention ..read more

At On the Line, we’ve looked at our caller data for the past two years across our suicide prevention phone and online counselling helplines and highlighted some trends.   Caller demographics 2020 v 2019 In 2020, our counselling helplines saw an increase in callers from the following age groups: 15 to 20 years (34%) 30 to 39 years (18%) 40 to 49 years (16%)   Callers by state and territory 2020 v 2019 There were no significant changes in the percentage of callers from each state and territory. The Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia had small increases in 2020.   ..read more

  This year has been challenging for many Australians as we experienced drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 global pandemic. As we’re trying to rebuild our lives and look after our mental health, please remember that our professional counselling team will be here throughout December to help you through any issues you may be experiencing. Our helplines are a free service and most are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please see below for our list of telephone counselling services: Nationwide New South Wales South Australia Victoria   Nationwide MensLine Australia Available 24 ..read more