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.

PDF printable version of Office of Health Protection Organisation Chart

First Assistant Secretary - Jennifer Bryant

The Office of Health Protection's (OHP) goal is to prevent, detect, and respond to communicable diseases in the Australian population. 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 due to communicable diseases. Areas in which OHP provides strategic leadership include communicable disease surveillance and control, Biosecurity and emergency preparedness. A key focus is the strengthening of our capacity to respond to a range of new and emerging threats to health.

H1N1 Taskforce

Assistant Secretary - Rod Schreiber

The Taskforce is managing the Department’s ongoing response to pandemic influenza activity within the community and is reviewing and updating the AHMPPI in the context of lessons learned in the response to date.

The key objectives are listed below.

• Raise community awareness and provide information about pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and the associated vaccine program.
• Implement the rollout of the Panvax® H1N1 vaccine to children aged under 10 years and continue the existing adult vaccination program.
• Work with the international community, on vaccine related issues, to reduce the impact of pandemic (H1N1) 2009.
• Coordination of the evaluation of Australia’s pandemic response.
• Effective liaison with state and territory agencies on issues relating to pandemic (H1N1) 2009.
• Review of the interim Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza.
• Coordination and liaison with key departmental areas that also contribute to ensuring Australia’s preparedness in the event of a future wave of pandemic influenza activity.

Health Protection Policy Branch

Assistant Secretary - Fay Holden

The Health Protection Policy Branch provides national leadership, policy advice, analysis, coordination and communication of health protection strategies and responses to emerging and current health threat risks.

The key activities of the Health Protection Policy Branch (HPPB) are:

• Secretariat for AHMAC Principal committee, the Australian Health Protection Committee and its subcommittees – the Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA), the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN), and the Environmental Health Committee (enHealth);
• Developing strategic approaches for current health risks in Australia, including assessing the vulnerabilities and approaches that need to be taken;
• Establishment of risk analysis framework and maintenance of risk analysis standards;
• Liaison with other Australian Government agencies and international fora on international and cross border health protection matters, including management of the Torres Strait Cross Border Health Issues Committee;
• Working with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) in implementing the recommendations of the (Beale) Review of Australia’s Quarantine and Biosecurity Arrangements and coordinating DoHA’s input; and
• Developing new Biosecurity legislation to replace the Quarantine Act 1908.

Pandemic Preparedness

The Pandemic Preparedness Section is responsible for: Top of page

• National Health Sector Pandemic Planning, including co-ordination of planning across OHP;
• Coordination of the health sector implementation of the outcomes of Exercise Cumpston '06;
• Secretariat support for a range of influenza and pandemic related advisory and working groups;
• Development and implementation of the Pandemic Influenza Communication Strategy and publication and ongoing review of the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza (AHMPPI), associated annexes and technical papers;
• Co-ordination of information regarding developments in international pandemic preparedness;
• Consultation with external stakeholders on pandemic preparedness issues; and
• Development of policy for pandemic influenza vaccine and the use of antivirals in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Emerging Issues Analysis

The Emerging Issues Analysis Section is responsible for:

• 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.
• Development of protocols and standards for analysis within OHP
• Development of strategic approach to Anti-Microbial Resistance and related issues

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) and development of a package of measures to address cross border health concerns in the Torres Strait including 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 Protection Strategy
• Development of strategic approaches to, single supplier or small volume communicable disease pharmaceutical products

Biosecurity Review Implementation Team

The Biosecurity Review Implementation Section is responsible for:

• Coordinating the Department’s input into the implementation of the (Beale) Review of Quarantine and Biosecurity
• Ensuring the new Biosecurity Bill will meet human health and biosecurity needs
• Securing resources both within and outside the Department to ensure that our human biosecurity obligations are met both now and in the future

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 coodinated policy input to the AHPC and its subcommittee;
• Facilitating effective and efficient meeting processes and communication of outcomes; and
• Facilitating and supporting committees to provide and emergency response.

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Health Emergency Management Branch

Assistant Secretary - Gary Lum, AM

The Health Emergency Management Branch is responsible for the management and coordination of the National Health Emergency preparedness and response initiatives plus the new work involving the regulation of Security-Sensitive Biological Agents.

Stockpile and Budget Management

The Stockpile and Budget Management Section is responsible for:

• Coordination of OHP’s contribution to the Department’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;
• Acquisition of new items for National Medical Stockpile (NMS) , day-to-day management of NMS and deployment when required.

Emergency Planning and Response

Health Disaster Coordination and Response

The Emergency Planning and Response Section is responsible for:

• The development and preparedness of the Aileen Plant National Incident Room (NIR) including management of NIR activation.
• Management of the International Health Regulations (IHRs)
• 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 as the National Critical Care and Trauma Centre (NCCTRC), the development of the home quarantine support system and guidelines for establishing quarantine facilities in the event of pandemic influenza.

Security

• Health input to counter-terrorism and assistance to the 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.

Border Health

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

• 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 and the Chief Quarantine Officers and Quarantine Officers in each state/territory;
• Assessment of biological import requests for possible impact on human health (referred to DoHA by AQIS);
• Developing and operationalising border measures policy relating to the H1N1 Influenza 09 outbreak;
• Advice to AQIS on Importation of Human Remains; and
• Provision of advice to travellers on Yellow Fever vaccination requirements through the Yellow Fever Hotline.

Laboratory Capacity and Regulation

The Laboratory Capacity and Regulation Section is responsible for the implementation and operation of the Security Sensitive Biological Agents (SSBA) Regulatory Scheme. The scheme has been established under the National Health Security Act 2007 and is supported by the National Health Security Regulations 2008 and the SSBA Standards.

In addition to running the SSBA Regulatory Scheme, the Laboratory Capacity and Regulation Section’s other functions include providing policy support for the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN), providing secretariat for the Australian (Counter) Bioterrorism Laboratory Network, 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.
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Surveillance Branch

Assistant Secretary - Sally Goodspeed

The Surveillance Branch conducts and provides expert advice and actions to support communicable disease (including food-borne 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:

• Surveillance of foodborne diseases, zoonoses, arboviruses and other vector-borne diseases;
• Management and coordination of OzFoodNet, Australia's enhanced foodborne disease surveillance network;
• Liaison with other Government agencies regarding outbreaks of national significance;
• Provision of secretariat support for a range of committees to support surveillance activities and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Incident Panel;
• Policy and project management to support recipients of the Human Pituitary Hormone Program; and
• Ensuring the availability of antivenoms and supporting venom research.

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Surveillance

The Vaccine Preventable Diseases Surveillance is responsible for:

• Monitoring, analysing and reporting on vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), including influenza, as well as bacterial, bloodborne viruses and sexually transmitted infections;
• Providing timely, accurate and relevant surveillance advice to inform policy and response activities, including pandemic planning, immunisation policy and national strategies;
• Providing specialist epidemiologist and expert advice to the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) and other stakeholders on the impacts that VPDs and other communicable diseases could pose to Australia, including through national and international trend analysis;
• Managing and contributing to committees on VPD and other communicable disease issues; and
• Engaging data providers and stakeholders to enhance the collection and analysis of VPD and other communicable disease surveillance information.

Systems and Coordination

The Systems and Coordination Section liaises with the two other Sections in Surveillance Branch to ensure timely and consistent provision of data for briefs, requests and reports. There are four teams in the SAC Section.

Systems

The Systems team:

• Is the custodian of State and Territory communicable disease notifications provided to the Commonwealth under the National Health Security Agreement (2008) and is the basis of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) database. There are 65 notifiable diseases that are reported to the Commonwealth. The systems team works closely with State and Territory data owners to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of data.
• Oversees the Biosecurity Surveillance System (BSS) suite of products that consists of: the NNDSS, the Data Warehouse, the Data Acquisition System, Syndromic Surveillance System (SSS), NetEpi (a case reporting system for use during multi-jurisdictional outbreaks) and the Health Alert Network for secure communication.
• The team also maintains the LabVISE data collection of laboratory based positive tests.
• The team also assists and provides training to Surveillance Branch staff to access these data and provides data to external parties in cooperation with the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA).

Biosecurity Surveillance System (BSS) Project

• The BSS team oversees the project to complete enhancement to the SSS that collects data on influenza-like symptoms within the Australian community and is investigating opportunities to develop new surveillance systems and tools as resources permit.

Domestic Surveillance

The Domestic team:

• Provides surveillance data and analyses to inform disease control activities and/or policy initiatives. Using data from the NNDSS, the domestic team assists in the production and clearance of the weekly and fortnightly reports, and articles for Communicable Diseases Intelligence (CDI), a quarterly publication of the Department.
• Chairs the National Surveillance Committee (NSC) and oversees the secretariat for the Case Definitions Working Group (CDWG).
• Provides specialist epidemiologist and expert advice and oversees contributions to meetings of CDNA, and other committees as required. The domestic team also coordinates the development and updating of web information and fact sheets on communicable diseases, undertakes daily monitoring of the Epi inbox answering enquiries from the general public, and processes NNDSS data enquiries and steering the release policy.

International Surveillance

The International team:

• Conducts surveillance of overseas communicable disease outbreaks and other events that may have health implications for Australia and Australians travelling overseas. The team coordinates and facilitates international issues across the Branch and the Division, and works to maintain and strengthen international surveillance networks. The international team is the liaison point for international health issues with external stakeholders including AusAID, DFAT and DIAC.
• Supports the international capacity building initiatives related to communicable diseases threats and regional disease surveillance activities.
• Coordinates the development and updating of daily and fortnightly reports with input from other sections in Surveillance Branch.

Bloodborne Virus and Sexually Transmitted Infections Program/Contract Management

The Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infectious Program Section has primary responsibility for leading and coordinating the Australian Government’s funded programs to respond to BBVSs primarily; Viral Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and Chlamydia. This includes:

• administering funding to State and Territory governments, to conduct Hepatitis C Education and Prevention programs and resources;
• fund peak national community-bases organisations and other key stakeholders for targeted policy development, education and prevention programs and resource development;
• commission research, health promotion and policy initiatives at a national level;
• conduct the National Chlamydia screening pilot program, including the evaluation of models of targeted Chlamydia screening and an evaluation of a screening program within General Practice;
• oversee the development and implementation of a broad media campaign to raise awareness of the risks of STIs and how to prevent them in an effort to reverse the current trend of increasing rates; and
• provide national coordination of World Aids Day including the development of resources and lining with locally based activities.

Bloodborne Virus and Sexually Transmitted Infections Policy

The BBVS Policy Section has primary responsibility for leading and coordination the Commonwealth Government’s response to HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs). This includes:

• leadership, coordination of the implementation of and evaluation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2005-2008 and National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy 2005-2008;
• management and national coordination of the annual World AIDS Day project;
• development and implementation of a Chlamydia Control and Prevention Program to increase awareness, improve surveillance and pilot a national testing program for Chlamydia;
• management of HIV/AIDS and STIs health promotion and education activities conducted via community-bases organisations;
• management of the Division’s interests in the National Serology Reference Laboratory (NRL), including implementation of the NRL review;
• secretariat support of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on AIDS, Sexual Health and Hepatitis and its HIV/AIDS and STIs Subcommittee.

Immunisation Branch

Assistant Secretary - Julianne Quaine

The Immunisation Branch is responsible for the management of immunisation programs to support the government’s preventative health framework. The National Immunisation Program is a joint program with States and Territories managed under the Essential Vaccines National Partnership Agreement.

Immunisation Programs

Immunisation Programs Section is responsible for:

• Implementing the National Immunisation Program; and
• Ensuring that government policy outcomes in relation to vaccination are achieved.

Immunisation Policy

Immunisation Policy Section is responsible for:

• Policy and technical advice to support the Immunise Australian Program;
• Ensuring a strong evidence base for immunisation policy and practice;
• Providing secretariat for Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI); and
• Managing the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) contract.

Immunisation Procurement

Immuninisation Procurement Section is responsible for developing and implementing new national supply arrangements and associated policy and procedures for essential vaccines under the National Immunisation Program.