The permanent future of the CDC has always been tied to the covid inquiry reporting date. Now that’s been delayed, people are getting nervous.
The independent panel running the Covid-19 Response Inquiry has asked for and been granted an extension, meaning it will now report almost a month later than anticipated – 25 October – leaving very little time to stand up a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control.
That’s making public health experts nervous.
The government’s commitment to the permanent future of the CDC has always been tied to the covid inquiry’s report (here and here), with one DoHAC official saying recently that there was “not yet … a government decision on the scope functions and final model for the CDC”.
“I’m not able to give you a sense of when that report might be publicly released, or when we expect a government decision to actually have a CDC in place,” said Helen Grinbergs, first assistant secretary in charge of the CDC’s Establishment Taskforce.
That statement is a timely reminder that just because the report will be handed to the government on 25 October does not mean it will be made publicly available then, leaving a small period of time to stand up fundamental legislation and infrastructure before the 2025 election.
Also complicating the mix is the retirement this week of Professor Paul Kelly, Australia’s chief medical officer and the boss of the interim CDC, which was set up in January of this year.
Today the Public Health Association of Australia, a long-time advocate for the Centre for Disease Control, led a multi-agency call for an urgent decision to be made.
Experts from the PHAA, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) and the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) said the delay of the Covid-19 Response Inquiry Report meant the government would now need to act very quickly in the coming weeks to fulfil its election promise to establish a permanent CDC.
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, PHAA’s CEO, was concerned about the continuing lack of progress.
“During the 2022 federal election campaign, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed to establishing an Australian CDC in their first term of government,” said Professor Slevin.
“This promise is yet to be fulfilled. Currently we have an Interim CDC with funding that expires on June 30, 2025.
“The Covid-19 Response Inquiry has been a very important and complex undertaking, and we fully support the government’s decision to grant an extension to the inquiry panel.
“However, as soon as the report is delivered, we expect to see the government act very swiftly to fulfil its election promise before a federal election is called.
“The retirement of … Professor Kelly this week also raises questions about the future leadership of the Australian CDC.
“Professor Kelly … has been a driving force for its establishment. We now need strong leadership for the agency in this vital stage in the development of the agency.”
Professor Joseph Doyle, president of the ASID, added that the threat of pandemics was ongoing and that there were other health challenges that urgently needed national leadership from a Centre for Disease Control.
“We urgently need an established CDC with secure resources and clear governance,” he said.
“It needs to be well resourced, science-led and accountable to best protect Australians from new and emerging health threats including avian influenza and mpox.”
RACP president Professor Jennifer Martin said the government also promised to deliver an Australian CDC with a focus on chronic disease prevention.
“The burden of preventable disease in our country is driven by modifiable factors such as tobacco use and vaping, unhealthy working and living environments, obesity and diabetes, underpinned by commercial determinants of health,” she said.
“If the Australian CDC is successful, fewer Australians will get sick or die from preventable diseases.
“It will also help us understand the best way to reduce the impact of some of Australia’s most common preventable killers and the impact of social and commercial determinants that drive inequality, climate change and poor health outcomes for some Australians. There are strong health and economic reasons to invest in disease prevention.”
Professor Slevin said the government had a unique opportunity to learn from covid and establish a national body that will help protect future generations.
“Australia is the only country in the OECD which doesn’t have a Centre for Disease Control,” he said.
“The Australian CDC could be the most important and impactful change in the Australian public health landscape in our lifetime. It is critical it is set up effectively from the start with the right legislation and funding to deliver on its potential.
“We are looking forward to a definitive and substantial financial commitment to the establishment of the permanent CDC before the end of 2024, before an election is called.”