Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 3:53:22 to 3:58:35
A review of conflicting climate risk ratings in government reports and how the Department of Agriculture implements adaptation policies to support farmer resilience.
Topics: Climate change, Agricultural productivity, DCCEEW
Speakers: Senator Vanessa Bleyer, Matt Lowe, Nick Blong, Miss Victoria Anderson, Unknown Speaker
>> Uh, in September 2025, Secretary, the Australian government released Australia's national climate And in that document, it found that the current climate risk to the primary industries and food system is rated moderate to high. Coincidentally, I'm sure in the same month, so also in September 2025, the Department of Climate Change etc. released its national adaptation plan. And in that document it says um the risk of climate change to primary industries that decrease productivity, quality and profitability and increase biocurity pressures is currently rated as moderate. So we've got two government federal government reports produced in the same month of the same year being September last year. One of which rates the risk of climate change to primary industry at moderate to high and the other which rates it at moderate. So which policy are you implementing in the department of agriculture?
>> Senator I think Mr. Bl might be able to help there.
>> Uh so Senator sorry familiar with those uh reports and I guess the the industry itself would recognize it as being a highly climate exposed sector. So
>> a Harley what I'm sorry
>> climate exposed sector in terms of the impacts of of climate change and having to adapt >> uh to those impacts and it's a sector both through the R&D system that has invested levy payer and obviously commonwealth matching funds through addressing some of those challenges around the impacts of climate change across all sectors livestock and cropping and beyond. There's also a number of government programs which the department administers that goes to this issue as well including the future drought fund natural heritage trust funded climate smart agriculture program and obviously the the matching contributions we make to R&D uh investment across the sector as well. So I I think I I would say that the the analysis uh that is contained in those reports you referred to uh I guess reinforce that the sector is exposed to climate change and it's a that's not necessarily new news rather but it is something that it sort of galvanizes attention around the need for the sector to adapt to to climate change challenges and it's a sector that has been uh long investing in uh that task and is supported by both levy payer funds and also government programs. as well.
>> And so is the Department of Agriculture implementing the policy that climate change is a moderate risk or a moderate to high risk to our primary industries.
>> I think Senator a different way to think about that is um you know this is information that farmers should be thinking about and using um to manage the risk on their own enterprises. Um and then how as Mr. Blong said um this is um I guess additional information. It's not uh both the sector and ourselves are very aware that the um that is is an climate exposed sector. So then our our general principle um in relation to the programs that we administer andor the the work that sits in the the research and development system is about supporting farmers with the information um and the tools that they can use to best manage the risks for their own enterprise and put essentially the farmer at the center of of managing that risk. So that could be in relation to drought resilience. Uh that could be in relation to um extreme weather events, but ultimately um it's about um ensuring that they have the tools to adapt um and and the information available to make the best decisions that they can. And so our
farmers best respond to risks by being informed by policy implementation. And so should our farmers who look to the Department of Agriculture consider climate change a moderate or a high risk to the industry in which they operate? Or are you by the answers I've heard so far to the same question I'm having to put again? Are you not prepared to tell us what policy you are implementing? Whether you're implementing a moderate risk policy or a high-risisk policy when it comes to the impact of climate change on our primary industries. >> It's a pretty straightforward question, I thought.
>> Well, it's
>> But you don't want to choose between the two reports. I understand that. Just say
information and it's it's analysis um that we use and also the sector uses um to inform um how they adapt and happy to go to my colleague to provide further commentary.