Suicide prevention a priority for Labor

Suicide prevention will be a key priority for the Labor government if it wins a second term in office, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.

Labor has promised to spend $277 million over four years to boost suicide prevention and mental health services, in a key pre-election commitment.

While the announcement has been welcomed in some quarters, some mental health experts have rubbished the figure and Ms Gillard's commitment, saying much more needs to be done to combat Australia's suicide rate.

Ms Gillard said the government would double its support for the mental health sector should it win the federal election on August 21.

"Every suicide is a tragedy," she told a community development forum in Brisbane on Tuesday, adding that 2,000 Australians took their lives every year.

"That means six more people today, tomorrow and each day after."

Mental illness remained the single biggest risk factor for suicide, she said.

"I want to be absolutely clear - mental health will be a second-term priority for this government."

The cash will be targeted in four ways, assisting those with severe mental illness, boosting direct prevention strategies such as helplines, and focus on men and children.

The biggest chunk of funds - $113.9 million - will go towards boosting psychiatric and psychology services, as well as non-clinical support for those in need.

Suicide prevention organisations, such as Lifeline, will also receive direct funding boosts, while there will also be money to improve safety at suicide "hotspots".

The Mental Health Council's David Crosbie welcomed the government's announcement as a positive - but small - step forward.

"The reality is that mental health needs a massive investment, and this package falls short of what most experts ... see as necessary," he said in a statement.

He and mental health campaigner Patrick McGorry, an Australian of the Year, have been critical of the government's efforts in tackling the issue.

They've backed the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission 12-step action plan, that has failed to win the government's attention.

Extra money was welcome, Professor McGorry said, but the funding did not address the "failing (mental health) system".

Ms Gillard promised to work with experts on reform, acknowledging that services will need to be scaled up over time.

She said she was listening to experts who were calling for five or 10-year plans.

But opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton accused Labor of ignoring recommendations and rolling out another stale policy.

It was in stark contrast to the coalition's $1.5 billion pledge to improve mental health services, Mr Dutton said.

While the coalition appears to be making the better offer on mental health, Prof McGorry wasn't giving up hope the government would bump up its own commitment.

He said he had confidence in Ms Gillard.

"She means what she says, but it must be matched by an allocation of funding," he told Sky News.

Prof McGorry wants more funding for youth-oriented programs, such as online counselling services, saying there was "really no excuse not to invest heavily".

Chris Tanti from headspace, which runs a similar program in Western Australia, said suicide rates among young people had reached appalling levels.

"Men and women aged between 15 and 24 are in the highest risk brackets ... and if someone is indigenous or same-sex-attracted the risk increases fourfold.

"We are in danger of losing a generation of young people if we don't deal effectively with this crisis in our community."

Meanwhile, researchers said they were still waiting for support and called for more focus on curing and preventing mental health illnesses through research.