Schizophrenia Awareness Week motion - make mental health a priority

I move that the Senate

notes that:

(i)      it is Schizophrenia Awareness Week;

(ii)    people affected by serious mental illness face critical challenges to achieving and maintaining the same physical health as other people in the community;

(iii)   such people are more vulnerable to coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke and respiratory disease than those without serious mental illness; and

(iv)  their life expectancy is up to 25 years less than that of the general population; and

(b)   calls on all governments in Australia to address the poor physical health status of people with serious mental illness as a priority.

This motion recieved the support of the Senate.