Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. What are the predicted impacts of climate change on Australia’s health system?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Melbourne Ports for his question. Given that we share most of the bay with our electorates in Melbourne, our waterfront communities are of course focused on the impact of climate change, but the impact of climate change goes well beyond those people who are living on our shores. It will impact significantly on our health system. This week I met with Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation. Dr Chan was here as a guest of the government. She advised that the health effects of climate change are one of the key World Health Organisation priorities for this region. That is not surprising, given that recent reports prepared for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for the Department of Health and Ageing and for much other work prepared for my colleagues and others outline the likely health impacts of climate change globally and here in Australia. Some of this makes very sobering reading.

Climate change poses various potential health risks in Australia which are, as I said, not going to be just limited to coastal communities. There is likely to be an increase in deaths and morbidity due to the more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, floods and bushfires. Of course, older Australians will bear the brunt of these disasters. We will experience higher rates of infectious and vector-borne diseases—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about the extreme event of a Labor government?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has the call.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It should be of particular interest that the increase in rates of infectious and vector-borne diseases are most likely to be felt immediately in Queensland—something I thought the member for Dickson might be interested in. There are diseases such as Ross River virus and dengue fever, as well as food- and water-borne diseases due to changing weather conditions for vectors and hosts. The geographic ranges of some of these diseases are of course likely to change, putting new populations at risk. Water scarcity is predicted to become more common, reducing food availability, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables.

The increased incidence of extreme natural disasters such as drought is something that I thought those opposite might have an interest in. They have of course made representations to the government about the impact of drought and the mental health concerns of many in our rural communities, and these sorts of issues are likely to increase if change effects spread across the country. Of course, there are stresses placed on communities and the health system caused by internal migration and social disruption as people move away from coastal areas that are inundated by sea level rises.

These sorts of recommendations are public and on the record and simply add to the reasons for us to act against climate change. The government recognises that climate change poses serious consequences for the nation’s health and the health system and that urgent action must be taken to tackle this issue. We are not alone. The Australian Medical Association and Doctors for the Environment Australia have both called for action against climate change and warned of the potential health risks—some of which I have just outlined—that climate change will bring. It is time to act. The government is doing that. We call on the Liberals to get on and act in the national interest.