Climate change
Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (09:56): As the Victorian Greens’ first regional MP, I have had the pleasure of cups of tea and farm tours with people who proudly produce the food that we buy from supermarkets and too often take for granted. Farmers who spend hours outdoors are more attuned to the changing climate than we can appreciate. At 7:25 pm when the ABC weather report comes on, there is silence as families tune in to see what the coming forecast will bring. They bear the brunt of damaging winds and storms like we have seen over the past week, and yet their voices often go unheard when we talk about the great threat to our lives and their livelihood – climate change. Farmers are on the front line of climate change, and they must be given a lead role in our response. Governments must not only do much more to support farmers as they work to reduce agricultural emissions and use agriculture as a source of emissions drawdown but also ensure that they are genuine partners in the renewable energy transition we must urgently make. With many parts of western Victoria in the grips of a green drought, the sooner we give farmers a seat at the table to share these experiences and have these conversations the better for our climate, food security and farming families.