Thursday, 30th April National Suicide Prevention Conference 2026

Panel Discussion: Panel Human Rights and Suicide
Time: 9:25 AM - 10:30 AM 

This panel examines the complex intersection between human rights and suicide prevention, exploring how societies, health systems, and professionals can balance respect for individual autonomy with the responsibility to reduce suicide risk. Drawing on perspectives from psychology, ethics, policy, and lived experience, panellists will engage critically with emerging evidence, practice dilemmas, and the real-world experiences of people navigating these issues.

Key questions include: How do we distinguish between a person’s rational desire for control and suicidality rooted in psychological distress? What safeguards are needed to ensure that interventions, whether supportive or clinical, do not inadvertently infringe on human rights?

In this conversation, we will explore ways to reduce harm, uphold autonomy, and protect against the latent risks that treatment, may pose to an individual’s dignity, rights, and wellbeing.

This session is located on a floor above the other sessions. 

• Elevating lived experience expertise in the NSW Health peer workforce - Darren Wagner, Jessica Radican and Alison Ryder

• Impact of Engaging Men in Crisis Support training on Crisis Supporter confidence, skills, and self-efficacy - Tara Hunt
• AgriBalance: Increasing Mental Health Literacy and Suicide Prevention Capacity in the Agricultural Sector - Jo Drayton
• Te oranga tonutanga towards wellbeing suicide prevention for young people in state care in NZ - Rachel Moriarty

• Addressing social determinants for suicide prevention: evidence for reducing loneliness and increasing social connection - Briohny Kennedy, Sam Robinson and Acadia Babister
• Clinicians perspectives on effective suicide prevention in secondary mental health services: an appreciative inquiry approach - Pippa Holland
• A scoping review of trauma-informed approaches to suicide prevention: Emerging evidence and future directions - Monika Ferguson

• Amplifying skills for enhancing means safety within a suicide prevention framework: teaching, training and tools - Annette Beautrais, Mike ANG, Daniel Mobbs and Melanie Clark
• Preliminary advice on the use of content warnings when communicating about suicide - Elizabeth Paton

• Cultural Scaffolds in Suicide Prevention: Embedding Responsiveness Within Existing Frameworks - Daniel Samuta and Ziyad ZS Serhan
• Centring LGBTQ+ experiences in suicide prevention: What makes LGBTQ+ suicide prevention services work - Sophie Potter and Alexandra Lorigan
• Black Dog Ride - The power of shared experiences cannot be underestimated - Beverley Seeney and Nathan Gyaneshwar

• Out of the gates, together a peer-led racing model from Aotearoa for suicide prevention - Victoria McArthur and Victoria Ross
• Partnering with purpose: People and culture, and peer workers - Emily Smith and Olivia Goodchild
• Benchmarking Psychosocial Wellbeing in the Suicide Prevention Workforce: Insights from Wesley LifeForce - Jason L Nunes

• Measuring what matters: findings from a three-year project exploring meaningful outcome measurement in suicide postvention - Bess Jackson
• From the inside out: Co-creating culturally informed suicide postvention with firefighters - Tara J Lal
• Help-seeking in men bereaved by suicide: uniting voices from research and practice - Karl Andriessen and Nicole Cool

• Sharing the TAR3 psychological first aid model with Australian families and services for brighter futures - Stephen Spencer
• Discontinuation of long-term prescription opioid use and mortality due to suicide - Natasa Gisev
• Evaluating ASIST training for suicide prevention in the veterinary community the AUSVETS study - Alena Gadoury

Panel Discussion: AI and eSafety
Time: 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

Social media is deeply embedded in the lives of young Australians, shaping identity, relationships, and pathways to connection and help-seeking. While these platforms can foster belonging and support, they also present significant risks for young people experiencing psychological distress or suicidal ideation. As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly governs how content is created, recommended, and moderated across social media, its impact on safety, well-being, and suicide risk has become a critical issue for suicide prevention and eSafety.

This keynote panel will examine the evolving role of social media systems in influencing young Australians’ online experiences, exploring both the potential harms and opportunities for prevention. Drawing on a range of perspectives, the session will consider how AI can be leveraged to reduce exposure to harmful content, strengthen early intervention, and support safe and appropriate help-seeking.

The panel will highlight the importance of cross-sector collaboration to ensure AI-enabled social media environments promote connection, safety, and hope, while minimising harm and supporting effective, youth-centred suicide prevention for young Australians.