paul mallett knows suicide remains a leading preventable cause of death in Tasmania. While Tasmania’s suicide rate has fluctuated, it has historically been higher than the national average.

paul’s policy thinking is guided by the National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035. This strategy broadens thinking from crisis response to proactive prevention by addressing the underlying causes of suicidal distress. As such paul supports programs, policies and collaborative efforts to:

• Prevent Suicidal Distress: Focus on early intervention and creating environments that reduce the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
• Improve Support Systems: Ensure that individuals experiencing suicidal distress receive timely, compassionate, and effective care.
• Reduce Suicide Rates: Implement evidence-based strategies to lower the number of suicide deaths and attempts in every community.

paul notes that Tasmania has shown it can lead in place-based suicide prevention. paul believes the next step is embedding what works — statewide, long-term, with no cracks for people to fall through.

Given this, paul calls for strong leadership to progress the work – led by the state government, Primary Health Tasmania, local councils, not-for-profit organizations, lived experience leaders and Aboriginal partners to prioritise options, including:

• Secure flexible, sustainable funding for local delivery and workforce development.
• Pilot Zero Suicide in two major health services with full staff training and local oversight.
• Expand community-led prevention networks to priority rural and regional areas with tailored support.

More specifically, paul calls for:

1. Scale up Aftercare Statewide

Rationale:
People leaving hospital after a suicide attempt are at highest risk in the following weeks.

Action:

• Expand The Way Back Support Service or similar aftercare so it’s available in all major hospitals and regional hubs.
• Embed clear referral pathways for GPs, emergency services and mental health services.
• Fund outreach peer support roles to provide follow-up care.

2. Adopt Zero Suicide in Health Services

Rationale:
Evidence shows clear protocols, leadership commitment, and staff training reduce suicides in care.

Action:

• Develop a Zero Suicide Action Plan for Tasmania’s public hospitals and community mental health services.
• Train all staff — clinical, administrative, community outreach — to identify risk and act.
• Embed routine safety planning and continuous improvement (learning from every incident).

3. Sustain and Expand Community Networks

Rationale:
Local action works best when communities have the resources and trust to respond.

Action:

• Provide long-term core funding to keep local Suicide Prevention Community Networks active and coordinated.
• Expand place-based planning to more councils, with local data, flexible funding, and capacity-building.
• Strengthen partnerships with schools, sports clubs and employers as key community touchpoints.

4. Enhance Real-Time Data & Rapid Response

Rationale:
Timely local data enables faster, more targeted responses to spikes or clusters.

Action:

• Build on the Suicide Register by investing in faster local data sharing with trusted local networks.
• Establish local response protocols so communities can act early — e.g. through pop-up outreach, local awareness campaigns, extra supports.

Inspiration

paul has conducted research into youth suicide prevention, and has lost friends and peers to suicide. The prevention of suicidal distress, the prevention of deaths by suicide, and the improvement of systems to support everyone  is very close to his heart and his desire to seek elected office.