The Australian Medical Association welcomes the Senate's passing of the bill to establish an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
The AMA was one of the first health organisations to champion the need for an independent Australian CDC, having first called for a CDC in 2017 and advocating strongly for its creation since.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said the AMA called for a CDC to provide national leadership and coordinate rapid and effective public health responses to manage communicable diseases and outbreaks.
"The AMA saw the need for this body well in advance of the pandemic, issuing a position statement calling for the CDC in 2017 . The COVID-pandemic then highlighted exactly how ill-prepared Australia was to respond to such events," Dr McMullen said.
"We are dealing with many complex issues right now including communicable diseases between people and animals, antimicrobial resistance and other emerging threats that require surveillance and monitoring.
"I'm delighted to see the Senate pass the legislation that will create an agency that's able to anticipate threats — and respond to them.
"The AMA is looking forward to continuing to work with the government and the new Director-General to ensure the CDC relies on strong, clinical and scientific expert leadership.
"The appointment of a politically neutral, highly qualified Director-General is vital to ensure the CDC becomes Australia's most trusted."
We welcome the leadership of the Federal Government on the establishment of the CDC, particularly the role played by the Health Minister, who the AMA has worked collaboratively with on this important initiative.
Read the AMA's submission on the Australian Centre for Disease Control
