Office of Health Protection (OHP)

Roles and responsibilities of the Office of Health Protection

This page contains information on the roles of the Office of Health Protection and the responsibilities of each Branch and Section.

Printable version of OHP structure chart (PDF 11 KB)

First Assistant Secretary - Cath Halbert

The Office of Health Protection’s (OHP) goal is to manage, prevent and respond to health risks faced by the Australian population. OHP leads the prevention policy agenda at a national level. OHP designs and implements evidence-based and targeted programs, which contribute to the sustainability of the Australian health system by reducing preventable illness and mortality. Areas in which OHP provides strategic leadership include health surveillance, biosecurity and emergency preparedness, food policy, chronic and communicable disease control, health promotion and the reduction of harm from substance abuse. A key focus is the integration of our capacity to respond to a range of new and emerging threats to health.

Health Protection Policy Branch

Assistant Secretary - Fay Gardner (A/g)

The Health Protection Policy Branch is responsible for national leadership and policy on preparedness and communication for an influenza pandemic and providing policy advice and coordination on health protection issues.

The key roles and responsibilities of the Health Protection Policy Branch (HPPB) are:

• lead health preparedness planning for an influenza pandemic, providing the first point of contact for stakeholders on pandemic influenza planning matters;
• developing a body of scientific, technical and clinical expertise on health protection, including pandemic influenza.
• monitoring developments, providing policy advice and administering programs on threats to human health posed by communicable diseases and environmental factors, with a focus on prevention;
• supporting national expert advisory committees relevant to OHP objectives
• liaison with other Australian Government agencies and international fora on international and cross boarder health protection matters;
• policy advice and coordination on health protection matters;
• delivering key projects for the OHP; and
• developing professional working relationships and effective liaison across the OHP and the Department.

Pandemic Preparedness

The Pandemic Preparedness Section is responsible for:

• National Health Sector Pandemic Planning, including co-ordination of planning across OHP;
• Pandemic Influenza Communication Strategy;
• Co-ordination of the health sector implementation of the outcomes of Exercise Cumpston '06;
• Publication and ongoing review of the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza (AHMPPI) and associated annexes and technical papers;
• Providing support for the Scientific Influenza Advisory Group (SIAG), Chief Medical Officer’s Vaccine Advisory Group (VAG), the Chief Medical Officer's Expert Advisory Group (EAG), Inter-jurisdictional
• Pandemic Planners Working Group (IPPWG) and the Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC) National Immunisation Committee (NIC) Pandemic Vaccine Working Group
• Development and implementation of the Pandemic Influenza Communication Strategy;
• Co-ordination of information regarding developments in international pandemic preparedness; and
• Consultation with external stakeholders on pandemic preparedness issues.
• Development of policy for pandemic influenza vaccine; and
• Development and review of policy for the use of anti-virals in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Emerging Issues Analysis

The Emerging Issues Analysis Section is responsible for:
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• Analysis, advice and the development of strategic policy positions in relation to emerging health protection issues for Australia;
  • including global and regional issues as they might potentially threaten Australia;
  • encompassing a full range of emerging threats, risk mitigation strategies and new technologies;
• Policy coordination of emerging issues across OHP, and analysis contributions to policy development processes in OHP; and
• Development of protocols and standards for analysis within OHP.

Health Risk Strategies

The Health Risk Strategies Section is responsible for developing strategic approaches for current health risks in Australia, including assessing the vulnerabilities and approaches that need to be taken. In particular,

• Managing the Torres Strait Health Issues Committee (HIC) established to address cross border health concerns and identify threats and gaps to health system capacity
  • Development of a package of measures to address cross border health concerns
  • Development of the Tuberculosis laboratory and clinical management capacity building project in PNG
• Providing input and advice regarding communicable disease management in the northern border regions of Australia and developing the Northern Borders Health Protecting Strategy
• Development of strategic approaches to issues such as Anti Microbial Resistance and related issues, single supplier or small volume communicable disease pharmaceutical products

Policy Coordination and Secretariat

The Policy Coordination and Secretariat Section is responsible for policy coordination and overarching Secretariat support to the AHPC and its three subcommittees – the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA), the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN), and the Environmental Health Committee (enHealth).

Major activities include:

• working with program and policy areas across OHP to ensure coordinated policy input to the AHPC and it subcommittees;
• facilitating effective and efficient meeting processes and communication of outcomes;
• facilitating and supporting committees to provide an emergency response; and
• providing capacity to the National Incident Room (NIR) Secretariat Team.

Legislation

The Legislation Section is responsible for:

• Providing advice around the National Health Security Legislation to improve the capability of the Australian Government, working with the States and Territories, to detect and respond to nationally significant public health threats and emergencies; and
• Legal policy advice on emerging issues within the Office of Health Protection
• Advice and support in the development and running of the pandemic national exercise programs.

Health Emergency Management Branch

Assistant Secretary - Dr Gary Lum AM

The Health Emergency Management Branch is responsible for the management and coordination of the National Health Emergency preparedness and response initiatives.
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Stockpile and Budget Management Section

The Stockpile and Budget Management Section is responsible for:

• Coordination of the Office of Health Protection’s contribution to the Department of Health and Ageing’s Portfolio Budget Statement and Annual Report;
• Ongoing support and advice in relation to budget processes, for example, new policy proposals, lapsing program reviews, Discretionary Grants applications and Liability Discharge Limit authorisations (Regulation 10 authorisations).
• Management of a Request for Expressions of Interest seeking a supplier of Tuberculin Purified Protein Derivative for Australia;
• Providing support and advice to the Office of Health Protection on budget matters;
• Budget coordination including liaison with Portfolio Strategies Division and the Department of Finance and Deregulation (including preparation of briefings);
• Acquisition of new items for National Medical Stockpile (NMS)
• Day to day Management of NMS; and
• Deployment of NMS when required.

Emergency Planning and Response Section

Health Disaster Coordination and Response

The Emergency Response Section is responsible for:

• The development and preparedness of the National Incident Room including the out of hours duty officer system and the response surge team;
• Managing activation of the National Incident Room;
• Managing the Department’s participation in and contribution to whole of Government response to health emergencies and the health aspects of other emergencies including contributing to the Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC), the Australian Emergency Management Committee (AEMC), the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Committee (AGDRC) and other interjurisdictional and interdepartmental bodies as required; and
• Managing health emergency response projects such development of home quarantine support systems and guidelines for establishing quarantine facilities.

Security

• Health input to counterterrorism;
• Assistance to National Counter Terrorism Committee (NCTC), and other related counter terrorism committees;
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) security planning, and development of treatment guidelines;
• Health Critical Infrastructure Protection; and
• The Development of Risk Context Statements based on ASIO Threat Assessments. Top of page

Border Health Section

The Border Health Section is responsible for administration of human health aspects of the Quarantine Act 1908, including:

• Management, coordination and review of human quarantine policy;
• Liaise with, and support of, AQIS in its operational human quarantine roles at the border
• Liaise with, and support of, the Chief Quarantine Officers in each state/territory
• Liaison with Australian Government border agencies
• Assessment of biological import requests for possible impact on human health (referred to DoHA by AQIS)
• Advice to AQIS on Importation of Human Remains;
• Provision of advice to travellers on yellow fever vaccination requirements through the Yellow Fever Hotline

Laboratory Capacity and Regulations Section

The Laboratory Capacity and Regulation Section is a new section created to implement the recommendations of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Review of Hazardous Biological Materials. In December 2002, COAG agreed to a national review of the regulation, reporting security surrounding the storage, sale and handling of hazardous materials, with a view to minimising the risk of these materials being used for unauthorised purposes, specifically terrorist acts, and to improve Australia's regulation, monitoring, control and education systems concerning such materials.
The section is now developing:

• a framework for the reulation and monitorng of Australian facilities working with Security-Sensitive Biological Agents;
• a registration scheme addressing physical, personnel and transport security concerns;
• associated legislation and an inspection process;
• an education and awareness-raising campaign covering the proposed security requirements, as well as other existing schemes; and
• review procedures for the new arrangements.

In addition to implementing the COAG recommendations, the Laboratory Capacity and Regulation Section's other functions include providing policy support for the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN), managing programs under the 2004-05 Federal Budget initiative Enhancement of public health laboratory capacity, and management of the Funding Agreement with the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) for the operation of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza.

Surveillance Branch

Assistant Secretary - Sandra Gebbie (A/g)

The Surveillance Branch conducts and provides expert advice and actions to support communicable disease (including foodborne disease) surveillance activities nationally and internationally, within an appropriate legislative and regulatory framework.

Zoonoses, Foodborne and Emerging Infectious Diseases Section

The Zoonoses, Foodborne and Emerging Infectious Diseases Section is responsible for:

• the surveillance of foodborne diseases, zoonoses, arboviruses and other vector-borne diseases;
• the management and coordination of OzFoodNet, Australia's enhanced foodborne disease surveillance network;
• liaison with other Commonwealth and State and Territory Government agencies regarding outbreaks of national significance;
• maintaining a watching brief for emerging infectious diseases;
• the provision of secretariat support for a range of committees to support surveillance activities;
• secretariat support for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Incident Panel;
• policy and project management to support for the Human Pituitary Hormone Program;
• ensuring the availability of antivenoms and supporting venom research; and
• managing the 2009 Communicable Diseases Control Conference.

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Surveillance

The Vaccine Preventable Diseases Surveillance is responsible for:
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• monitoring, analysing and reporting on vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) as well as bacterial, bloodborne and sexually transmitted diseases
• providing timely, accurate and relevant surveillance advice to inform policy and repose activities relating to VPDs, including pandemic planning
• providing stakeholders with information on the impacts that VPDs could pose to Australia, including through cross-jurisdictional and international trend analysis
• managing and contributing to committees on VPD issues
• engaging data providers and stakeholders to enhance collection and collation of VPD information.
• developing the AHMPPI Surveillance Annex

Systems and Coordination

The Systems and Coordination Section is responsible for:

Committees

• providing Secretariat support to the National Surveillance Committee, with the aim of improving national surveillance data quality and consistency through national harmonisation; and
• maintaining the national surveillance case definitions and providing Secretariat support to the Case Definitions Working Group.

International

• overall responsibility for across-disease coordination of international health issues;
• monitor overseas outbreaks of communicable disease that could impact on Australia and provide relevant and timely reporting advice;
• liaison point for international health issues with both internal and external stakeholders (such as DoHA international strategies Branch, AusAID, DFAT and DiAC); and
• support international capacity building initiatives related to communicable disease threats and regional disease surveillance activities.

Surveillance

• providing surveillance data and analyses to inform disease control activities and/or policy initiatives;
• providing surveillance data to the public through the communicable diseases surveillance pages of the DoHA website;
• providing the fortnightly National Communicable Disease Surveillance Report to CDNA; and
• providing specialist epidemiologist and expert advice to the Department, Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA).

Systems

• managing and maintaining a national Biosecurity Surveillance System (BSS) consisting of the Health Alert Network, an Outbreak Case Reporting System (NetEpi), National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) including the BSS Datawarehouse and the National Notifiable Disease List;
• managing and maintaining LabVise;
• developing a Syndromic Surveillance System; and
• producing quarterly and annual reports in the peer-reviewed journal Communicable Diseases Intelligence.

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