Australia is one step closer to establishing its own national agency to manage and inform public health responses, with a proposed Australian Centre for Disease Control set to begin operations on January 1, 2026. The draft legislation for the center’s creation was tabled in parliament last week. This initiative follows long-standing calls from public health experts since at least 1987, reflecting a significant milestone in the country’s public health strategy.
The new agency aims to enhance Australia’s ability to address immediate health concerns, including avian influenza, declining vaccination rates, and health misinformation. Over time, it’s expected to expand its focus to tackle broader public health issues like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. There is, however, a significant amount of uncertainty regarding how the agency will operate, and there are concerns about potential political interference affecting its work, a problem evident in the United States.
The proposal for an Australian Centre for Disease Control has been in discussion for almost 40 years, with the idea gaining traction among public health experts and opposition leaders in recent years. Funding allocations and legislative actions have moved the proposal towards reality, with the interim center already beginning its work in January 2024.
The establishment of the center marks a commitment from the federal government to invest more than $250 million over four years in its activities. The center is expected to provide evidence-based strategies to combat public health challenges. For instance, in the realm of vaccination, where policies are already nationally coordinated, the center could help determine the best strategies for reducing illnesses, develop national communication plans to increase vaccine uptake, and evaluate outcomes to inform future efforts.
To safeguard the center from political interference, draft legislation requires the director general to publish advice to the government and associated reasoning and evidence under most circumstances. This approach is similar to pandemic management frameworks in other jurisdictions, where health authorities provide advice, but decision-making power lies with government officials.
Despite these plans, many questions remain unanswered. The scope of public health issues the center will address, its relationship with existing health agencies, and its role in research funding allocation, among other areas, are still to be defined. The center’s strategic and implementation plans will be key in addressing these concerns and shaping its impact on Australian public health.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/08/australia-cdc-centre-for-disease-control
