Australia is a step closer to having its own national agency to inform and coordinate public health responses – a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control.
long-awaited draft legislation was tabled in parliament last week to create this permanent CDC, which is to start from 1 January 2026.ItS a milestone for public health in australia.
This national agency will help protect us against immediate issues including avian influenza (bird flu),falling immunisation coverage and health misinformation. Down the track it’s expected to address other areas of public health such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
But there’s much we don’t know about how the agency will run. We also need to ensure safeguards are in place against political interference in public health, which we’re seeing play out in the United States.
Almost 40 years in the making
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Public health experts have been calling for an australian CDC as at least 1987.
At that time, the Australasian Epidemiological Association noted the fragmentation of disease control efforts across the country.
Australian CDC Legislation Introduced, Set to Launch in 2026
The Australian Parliament has introduced the amendments and transitional provisions bill 2025 for the establishment of the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC is slated to begin operations on January 1, 2026.
The federal government has committed over $250m over four years to fund the CDC’s activities.
Currently,public health initiatives like the national immunisation program involve collaboration between federal,state,and territory governments,alongside self-reliant expert groups like the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS). However,the absence of a dedicated CDC has revealed systemic weaknesses.
Specifically, data collection on vaccine-preventable diseases isn’t consistently shared nationally, leading to an incomplete national picture. moreover, vaccine funding and accessibility vary across states and territories – as a notable example, free flu vaccines are available to all adults in Queensland and western Australia in 2025, while other jurisdictions limit eligibility to high-risk groups.
An Australian CDC aims to address these issues by providing evidence to inform more consistent and effective public health strategies nationwide.“`html
Australia’s New Disease Control Agency: A Promising Start
australia is finally establishing a dedicated national agency for disease control – the australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC). After years of discussion and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic,the legislation passed parliament in late 2023, and the CDC began operating in early 2024.
Why Australia needed a CDC
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear Australia lacked a central body with the specific expertise and authority to coordinate national responses to infectious disease outbreaks. Existing arrangements relied heavily on state and territory health departments, leading to inconsistencies and delays.It seems a dedicated national agency could have streamlined efforts and improved outcomes.
The CDC aims to fill this gap. It will focus on preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious disease threats, as well as strengthening Australia’s preparedness for future pandemics. One might suggest this is a crucial step in safeguarding public health.
What will the CDC do?
The CDC’s functions are broad. They include:
- Surveillance and monitoring of infectious diseases
- Providing expert advice to governments
- Conducting research
- Developing and implementing prevention strategies
- responding to outbreaks and emergencies
It’s vital to note the CDC won’t replace state and territory health departments. Rather, it will work in collaboration with them, providing national leadership and coordination.
Lessons from other countries
Australia isn’t alone in establishing a national CDC. Many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have similar agencies. These agencies have played a vital role in protecting public health, but they haven’t always been without challenges.
Such as, the US CDC faced criticism during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic for slow testing rollout and conflicting guidance. The UK’s Centre for the Prevention of Disease has, at times, been criticized for a lack of transparency.It’s crucial Australia learns from these experiences.
Australia’s CDC was initially proposed in 2014, but was shelved a few years later.
The importance of independence and accountability
Ultimately, the CDC will need a close relationship with the government. It needs appropriate funding, to provide input into government policies, and to be accountable for its work. Yet it needs to be independent and transparent. Safeguards in the draft legislation mean, for example, the CDC director general must, under most circumstances, publish advice to government and the associated rationale and evidence.
So if any governments make decisions against the advice of the CDC, this would be clear. This is similar to the Victorian