Every day, eight people die by suicide in Australia, including two people in NSW.  The majority are males. Suicides are the 13th ranked cause of death in Australia, with a higher number of deaths than breast cancer and skin cancer.  For people aged 15 to 44, suicide is the leading cause of death.  Suicides are caused by a “complex interaction of social, economic, personal and situational variables” that “may or may not include mental illness”. This paper reviews current NSW Government and national policies on suicide prevention. Perhaps the most interesting development is the trial of a “systems based” approach to suicide prevention in selected regions in NSW and Australia.