AMA urging movement on establishing CDC

In a letter to the Chair, ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith, the AMA has sought urgent attention be given to the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC), a key commitment of the Australian Government.

The establishment of a CDC enjoys significant support among key health bodies, particularly following the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The AMA was pleased to see the interim CDC put in place from 1 January 2024 and this, along with extensive consultation and seed funding from the Commonwealth, was seen as evidence of significant momentum towards a fully developed CDC.

Momentum however appears to have evaporated with key milestones being missed. The AMA understands Commonwealth legislation underpinning the structure and function of a fully developed CDC will not be introduced into the Parliament this year and the prospects of a stand-alone CDC being in place by early 2025 appear non-existent.

The AMA and other stakeholders are increasingly worried that work towards a fully developed CDC is being frustrated by inertia, jurisdictional politics, unwarranted concerns at the establishment of an independent body and the failure to fully appreciate the benefits of a national approach to tackling future health challenges.

The AMA is on the record as having supported the establishment of a CDC since 2017 and it is clear that the policy imperative for this has grown stronger since that time. Without a fully developed CDC we will be left with a system of state/territory and commonwealth arrangements that are not well integrated and clearly not fit for purpose.

The AMA urged the health ministers to re-affirm their commitment to the establishment of a fully developed CDC and agree to resolve any barriers that are standing in the way of its progress as a matter of urgency.