Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before asking that the motion be taken as formal, I wish to inform the chamber that Senators Polley and Waters will also sponsor the motion. At the request of Senators Marielle Smith, Ciccone, Polley and Waters, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that 11 to 15 November 2019 was Perinatal Anxiety and Depression (PANDA) Week;

(b) recognises that:

  (ii) one in five expecting or new mums will experience perinatal anxiety or depression,

  (iii) one in ten expecting or new dads will experience perinatal anxiety or depression,

  (iv) 100,000 families across Australia are affected by perinatal anxiety or depression every year, and

  (v) postnatal psychosis affects one or two new mums in every 1000 and that, if left untreated, the consequences of perinatal anxiety and depression can be devastating; and

(c) calls on the Federal Government to take action to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of perinatal anxiety and depression, and encourage open and honest conversations about the mental health of expecting and new parents in communities and workplaces.

Question agreed to.