Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

PM concerned over indigenous kids' deaths

Australia must continue to do everything it can to keep children safe after five indigenous girls died after taking their lives, the prime minister says.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has spoken of five indigenous child deaths, describing them as "heart-breaking". (AAP)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described five indigenous child deaths as heart-breaking, noting serious social issues in some communities.

Five Aboriginal girls have died from suicide in the past fortnight, with the tragedies highlighting the shocking over-representation of indigenous children in statistics.

While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up five per cent of Australia's children, 40 per cent of those aged between five and 17 who died by suicide in the past year were indigenous.

"It breaks my heart as a parent," Mr Morrison told 2GB on Monday.

"We just have to keep doing everything we can to try and keep these girls safe in these communities."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Mr Morrison said he had raised the matter with Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion and senior bureaucrats.

"I've spoken to my own department because I'm very concerned about it," he said.

He said some children were finding themselves in the "most awful" of circumstances.

"There are some very serious social issues in these communities," the prime minister said.

"There are, distressingly, not as many opportunities where people who are under threat are able to talk about these things."

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 22 4636


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world