Better health and ageing for all Australians

Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

Australia has a robust health system with measures in place to provide a comprehensive and effective health response in the event of a disaster or mass casualty event, including a bioterrorist act, natural disaster, bombing or communicable disease outbreak.

In this section:

    Public Health Information Hotline
    Call 1800 004 599

    National Security Hotline
    1800 123 400

    Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC)

    The Australian Government provides a nationally coordinated approach to health disaster management through the AHPC which was established in 2003 and previously known as the Australian Health Disaster Management Policy Committee (AHDMPC).

    In June 2006, the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) established the Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC). The roles of the AHPC are to provide advice to AHMAC on Australia’s preparedness for health emergencies and approaches to address any deficits and to coordinate the national health response to significant incidents.

    National Incident Room

    The National Incident Room was established to ensure a nationally consistent and coordinated response to a national health emergency.

    National Medical Stockpile

    The National Medical Stockpile provides a key reserve of essential medicines and equipment to protect Australians from the effects of chemical, biological and radiological terrorism, or a major communicable disease outbreak.

    Emergency Management Australia

    The response to a health emergency is primarily the responsibility of the State and Territory Governments but the Australian Government assists the States and Territories by enhancing their response capabilities and providing extra resources when requested. Emergency Management Australia encourages an "all agencies", "all hazards" approach to the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from disasters and may task Australian Government agencies to deploy resources during an emergency.

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