About the CDC
We are establishing an Australian CDC to improve Australia's response and preparedness for public health emergencies.
By establishing an Australian CDC we will build on our nation’s existing strengths and capabilities, drive better health outcomes for all Australians, and help protect our country from whatever nationally significant health threats we may face in the future.
Why it is important
Over the past 2 and a half years Australia has endured many public health emergencies. The response to these emergencies has been intense and our national capabilities have been challenged.
All Australians will benefit from improved pandemic preparedness and response, as well as a renewed focus on preventing chronic disease.
Goals
The Australian CDC will:
- ensure ongoing pandemic preparedness
- lead the federal response to future infectious disease outbreaks
- work to prevent non-communicable (chronic) and communicable (infectious) diseases.
Who we work with
To set up the Australian CDC, we are consulting and working with:
- state and territory governments
- health and aged care stakeholders
- academics and the research sector
- international counterparts.
Status
The Australian Government provided a total of $3.2 million in the October 2022-23 Budget for the preparations to establish an Australian CDC.
In November and December 2022, we invited select stakeholders to join a targeted consultation process exploring the roles and responsibilities of an Australian CDC. This included:
- workshops held in each capital city
- a virtual workshop
- written responses to the CDC consultation paper.
Following this consultation, we released the independently prepared CDC stakeholder consultation report. The report summarises stakeholder feedback from both written submissions to the CDC Consultation Paper and workshop participation.
This feedback will inform the initial advice to government on the scope and functions of an Australian CDC.
