Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   notes a recent report put out by the Climate Institute, A climate of suffering: the real costs of living with inaction on climate change, which concludes that the mental health of Australians, particularly rural Australians, is being adversely affected by climate change;

  (b)   recognises that:

     (i)   rural Australia is already experiencing increased levels of suicide and mental health issues compared to the rest of Australia, and climate change will increase stress and trigger more suicide in some of our most vulnerable communities,

     (ii)   reported figures of a suicide-per-week in rural Australia are of great concern and likely to be under reported,

     (iii)   suicide in a rural community affects everyone in the community, and

     (iv)   rural Australians are very resourceful and taking positive action can counteract mental health problems; and

  (c)   calls on the Government to:

     (i)   ensure adequate funding for rural mental health services, and

     (ii)   investigate ways to assist rural Australia in adapting to climate change.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note that the Senate Community Affairs References Committee is currently inquiring into the Commonwealth funding and administration of mental health services and has received over 1,000 submissions. I also note that the Climate Commission's report The critical decade states on page 42 that there is 'a high degree of uncertainty in our current understanding'. It continues:

Observational records show no changes beyond natural variability in either the frequency of cyclones or their storm tracks. … it is not yet possible to attribute any aspect of changes in cyclone behaviour (frequency, intensity, rainfall, etc.) to climate change …

The floods across eastern Australia in 2010 and early 2011 were the consequence of a very strong La Niña event, and not the result of climate change.

That is from the government's own report that I imagine the Greens have agreed to. It also seems spurious that this motion states that positive mental health is the key to tackling rural climate change. An article I have read states:

In addition, water policy changes, a national oversupply of grapes combined with a global economic down turn and international competition are starting to take their toll on grape growers …

I would say that that has got far more to do with depression in regional areas than climate change. Item (b) of Senator Wright's motion does include some items that would seem prudent and understandable. But relating those matters to issues pertaining to climate change makes this motion something that the coalition cannot support.

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Penny Wright (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A recent report from the Climate Institute concludes that the mental health of Australians, particularly rural Australians, is being adversely affected by climate change now and states that this will only increase in the future. A further recent report from the CSIRO, looking at 50 winegrowers from southern Australia, has also found that mental health stresses are affecting farmers' decision making and capacity to act and cites earlier research suggesting that farm based suicides in South Australia may be as high as one per week.

This Greens motion recognises these issues; recognises that while farmers and rural people are resilient—and in fact the CSIRO study indicates that those who are coping best are those who are able to adapt to the climate variability that they face—it is important that we ensure adequate funding for rural mental health and assistance for rural Australians to adapt to the future challenges of climate change.

Question agreed to.