Suicide prevention scheme urged for SA

The South Australian Opposition wants the introduction of a Tasmanian suicide prevention program to SA country areas.

The CORES program trains ordinary community members to identify those at risk of suicide and how to approach them.

Liberal MLC John Dawkins says South Australian suicide rates are climbing well above the national rate.

He says it is time to start reversing the trend, and the Tasmanian-created program would be a cost-effective way of helping do this.

"There needs to be as much work across the whole community to stop any person taking their own life," he said.

"In the Kentish council area in Tasmania they've gone from six deaths in a year in a community of 5,500 to zero.

"It's proven and it works and I think it's vital we make it available to country communities across South Australia."

The manager of the CORES program, Coralanne Walker, has been touring South Australia.

She says the drought makes it a particularly appropriate time for the program to be introduced to country areas.

"It's when things are starting to build up and hit them one thing after another," she said.

"It might be there's been no rain, then the money's hard to get, then they're trying to meet their commitments.

"So it's the continual pressure that's being put on people and two years into a drought people are under enormous strain."

A spokeswoman for the Government says initiatives are already in place to cater for the strain of the drought and they include similar programs to the one being proposed.