The Australian Government will establish a permanent center to monitor and respond to public health risks like COVID-19 as warnings of further pandemics grow.
An independent review of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic has recommended the creation of a Center for Disease Control (CDC) to provide trusted advice and data on Australia's disease preparedness and response.
Health Minister Mark Butler said Tuesday at the CDC's announcement that COVID-19 is “the biggest national and global emergency of our lifetime.”
What is the Centers for Disease Control?
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The new CDC will be an independent government agency from the Department of Health, with its headquarters in Canberra and its own budget and staff.
After federal legislation was passed creating the agency, the government committed $251.7 million in funding to the agency.
Health Minister Mark Butler said there was no “playbook” for Australia's coronavirus response and a permanent CDC would improve health outcomes if the pandemic returned.
“CDC is also responsible for providing independent, evidence-based advice on pandemic responses in particular and infectious disease responses more generally,” he said.
Australian Medical Association President Daniel McMullen welcomed the announcement, saying it was an urgently needed organization.
“We need a functioning CDC to provide reassurance that Australia is prepared to deal with the next pandemic,” she said.
“We cannot do this piecemeal. Now is the time to act on what we have learned so that we can respond more effectively the next time a crisis occurs.”
What does the CDC do?
The new CDC will monitor disease trends at home and abroad and advise governments on infectious diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from person to person, compared to diseases such as cancer or diabetes).
The independent review recommended the creation of a national database on infectious diseases shared among federal, state, and territorial governments, which the CDC would operate.
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It will also monitor diseases such as avian influenza and the new coronavirus, and issue early warnings if necessary.
Butler said the CDC's first action will be to set up a public health surveillance system to monitor wastewater, where infectious diseases are often first detected.
It will also coordinate with federal and state health departments to update disease outbreak plans, including communication to the public as well as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
CDC will be operational from January 1, 2026.
Why hasn't it happened before?
Australia is an anomaly among OECD countries (a group of 38 developed economies) in that it does not have any kind of permanent center to prepare for and respond to public health crises such as infectious disease outbreaks.
However, there is an interim CDC within the Ministry of Health that has been operational since January 1, 2024.
Labor pledged to set up the CDC during the 2022 election period, funding the new body with $90.9 million in the 2023-24 budget.
Its role is stated to be to strengthen “national health emergency planning and preparedness” and provide transparent public health advice.
Mr Butler said he was working on the response to Australia's expected deadly bird flu and other public health efforts.
