EXPERTS from several Australian health bodies have banded together to urge the Federal Government to commit funds to establish a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC).
The call comes in the lead-up to the COVID-19 Inquiry Response Report, due tomorrow, which the government said will help determine the Australian CDC's future structure and function.
Experts from the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA), the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) and the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA) said that the delay of the COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report, which was originally due at the end of Sep, means the govt will need to take urgent action in the coming weeks.
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, PHAA's CEO,voiced his concerns about the lack of progress in setting up the new centre.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's promise during the 2022 federal election campaign to establish an Australian CDC in their first term of government is yet to be fulfilled.
Meanwhile, funding for the interim CDC - which was established at the beginning of this year - expires on 30 Jun 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," Slevin said.
"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 call for action also comes as Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, who has been leading the interim CDC, prepares to retire at the end of this month.
Slevin said Kelly's departure "raises questions about the future leadership of the Australian CDC", adding "we now need strong leadership for the agency in this vital stage in the development of the agency".
President of the ASID, Professor Joseph Doyle, added that the threat of pandemics is ongoing, and that there are other health challenges that urgently need national leadership from a CDC.
"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." JM
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