AMA submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care - consultation on the role and functions of an Australian Centre for Disease Control
The AMA has been calling for a Centre for Disease Control (CDC) since 2017, and continuously advocated for a CDC throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 experience has illustrated the need for a nationally coordinated CDC across all jurisdictions in Australia. The AMA emphasises that the CDC must be adequately funded and resourced over the long-term to undertake its multitude of functions, including rapid risk assessment, scientific briefings, public education, and disease prevention.
The AMA has been calling for a Centre for Disease Control (CDC) since 2017, and continuously advocated for a CDC throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 experience has illustrated the need for a nationally coordinated CDC across all jurisdictions in Australia. The AMA emphasises that the CDC must be adequately funded and resourced over the long-term to undertake its multitude of functions, including rapid risk assessment, scientific briefings, public education, and disease prevention. An Australian CDC should be situated as the most trusted source of independent expert advice for pandemic preparedness, other public health emergencies and communicable and non-communicable disease prevention.
The advice released by the CDC to the public and medical community must be evidence based, transparent and independent from all political and external influences. An effective CDC will play a key role in bringing together science with real time monitoring of diseases and must draw upon the expertise of coalface clinicians such as General Practitioners (GPs) to ensure practical connectivity across all components of the health system. The AMA is pleased to make our submission into this government consultation process, and we look forward to working with the Federal government during the design and development phases for the Australian CDC.
