Better health and ageing for all Australians

Historical publications

Chief Medical Officer's Report 2000-2001

This report focuses on some key topics in Australia's health over the 2000-2001 financial year from the perspective of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Department of Health and Aged Care.

In this section:

This publication is the report of the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Richard Smallwood (AO), to the Minister and Department of Health and Aged Care on key health issues of importance to the Australian community from the 2000-2001 financial year. These include:

  • The Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care developing a National Action Plan as part of a nationally-coordinated and collaborative approach to improving patient safety in Australia's health care system;
  • Establishment of a special expert committee to provide independent scientific advice to government on issues relating to human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies such as vCJD ('mad cow' disease);
  • An extensive review of the Human Quarantine Legislation leading to proposed legislative amendments to augment the prevention of exotic human diseases and their vectors being introduced and spread in Australia;
  • A national summit on antibiotic resistance identifying 11 priorities for action;
  • The release of a National Action Plan for Depression;
  • A National Asthma Action Plan and the establishment of a National Asthma Reference group to improve asthma health outcomes;
  • The release of drinking water guidelines in response to recent outbreaks of Cryptosporidium and Giardia;
  • Implementation of a childhood pneumococcal vaccination program;
  • Establishment of the National Institute of Clinical Studies; and
  • The first National Health Online summit.

PDF printable version of Chief Medical Officer's Report 2000-2001 (PDF 1526 KB)

Available in Sections:


PDF printable Version of Section 1: Cover, Contents & Foreword (PDF 471 KB)

PDF Version of Section 2: Safety and Quality in Health Care (PDF 71 KB)

PDF Version of Section 3: Communicable Diseases (PDF 237 KB)

PDF Version of Section 4: Non Communicable Diseases (PDF 203 KB)

PDF Version of Section 5: Cross-area Strategies (PDF 272 KB)

PDF Version of Section 6: Health Infrastructure (PDF 334 KB)

PDF Version of Section 7: The Health of Australians (PDF 138 KB)

PDF Version of Section 8: References, Tables and Figures, Acronyms (PDF 103 KB)