Apparent suicide of 10-year-old Indigenous girl shocks remote WA community.

By Erin Parke

A Western Australian support worker says the apparent suicide of a 10-year-old girl is a tragedy that needs to be “heard across the nation”, as planning continues for an inquest into similar recent deaths in the region.

The girl was found dead in a bush community in the West Kimberley on Sunday night.

Government services have mobilised to try to support local families, with a counsellor being made available for students at the community school.

Gerry Georgatos, who has been tasked by the Federal Government with providing crisis support to families affected by suicide, said the news had rocked families across the Kimberley region.

“It is tragic that a young child would be so trapped in a sense of hopelessness … it’s a tragedy that needs to be heard across the nation if we are going to extract a dividend of change,” he said on Tuesday.

“Contact is being made, the school psychologist is going in today to the school, so all that stuff is being done.

“But we need to secure that wrap-around, 24-7, and support the families in practical ways.”

Mr Georgatos said the Indigenous suicide rate had spiked in WA this year.

Collating firm figures is difficult, because official confirmation of the cause of death can take years.

But Mr Georgatos said he had been notified of 19 Indigenous deaths in WA since Christmas.

“Usually we have about 30, 40 suicides by Aboriginal people each year in WA, but we are already about halfway there by this point in the year,” he said.

“Hopefully it stops but it doesn’t look like that, so we’re looking at a higher than usual toll for 2016.”

Indigenous suicide inquest planned

The ABC can reveal planning is underway for an inquest into multiple Indigenous suicides in the Pilbara and Kimberley.

It is understood the WA Coroner will examine the circumstances of at least a dozen deaths in northern WA in recent years.

The coroner’s office has declined to comment, but Government departments and families have already been notified of plans for public hearings to start later this year.

Mr Georgatos said it was difficult to pinpoint the reasons for the suicide spike.

“It’s the usual contributing factors — I just think it’s becoming [a] more entrenched feeling of hopelessness,” he said.

“It’s not one particular factor … domestic violence is a factor which cannot be understated.

“In some cases child sexual abuse has contributed as a factor, but the majority of these suicides are intertwined with acute poverty, that translates completely as hopelessness.”

Girl’s death devastating: Minister

WA Child Protection Minister Helen Morton said she was “deeply concerned” by the girl’s death.

“It is devastating that a child of 10 would even consider taking their own life,” she said in a statement.

“It will be heartbreaking to the family, relatives and community members.”

She said the child was not in the care of the Department for Child Protection and Family Support, but the department “had, however, been providing support to the extended family and will continue to do so during this very difficult time”.

“Aboriginal families have been working really hard to protect their children from suicide, and the number of young Aboriginal people dying from suicide has been declining continuously since 2011,” she said.

“Children in WA shouldn’t be dying like this.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure children are safe no matter where they live.”

A spokesman for Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said he was “deeply saddened” by the death.

“It has reinforced his resolve to do everything he can to prevent suicide and the enormous grief it causes families and communities,” the spokesman said.

He said a report on the effectiveness of current suicide prevention programs was expected by mid-2016.

However he said Mr Scullion had already approved funding for the “critical response initiative” to help families affected by suicide.

“The critical response initiative also includes a preventative component which will be trialled in the Kimberley region,” he said.

“It is developing a coordinated and family-centric model of care to be delivered by Indigenous mental health and suicide prevention services.”