I rise to make my contribution on the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025 and the Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025. Before Labor came to government, Australia was the only country in the OECD without a centre for disease control or its equivalent. Australia was not prepared for the pandemic, and our response to COVID was slow and confused and lacked authority. This was highlighted in the Commonwealth government COVID-19 response inquiry report, released in October last year. The inquiry called for an Australian CDC, and that is what the Albanese government is delivering.

The Australian CDC will strengthen public health capability, improve our preparedness for future pandemics and safeguard the health and wellbeing of all Australians. It will provide evidence based public health advice to governments, state and territory health agencies, international agencies and specialist non-government health organisations. It will be an authoritative source of public health advice and information for government officials working in public health, as well as for the public themselves. Importantly, it will support the better use of data through enabling the Australian CDC to collect, use and share public health information, requiring it to be transparent in its operations and requiring it to publish the recommendations it provides to governments.

The Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill will establish the Australian CDC, to commence operations on 1 January 2026 as an independent Commonwealth statutory agency. It establishes the director-general as the head of the Australian CDC and establishes an advisory council to advise the director-general. The accompanying consequential amendments and transitional provisions bill will transfer some of the existing statutory public health functions to the new director-general. In particular, the director-general will perform some functions under the Biosecurity Act 2015, the National Health Security Act 2007 and the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Act 2023.

The accompanying bill will repeal the Australian National Preventive Health Agency Act 2010. This agency was abolished by the coalition government in 2014, but the act has not been repealed. The C&T bill also amends the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exempt a document or information contained in a document for release under a FOI request if the document or information is protected information under this bill.

The Australian CDC will be Australia's primary national agency for public health expertise and advice. It will help set the direction on areas of national public health priorities. It will also support the existing work of the Australian government and states and territories to plan and prepare for future health threats and emergencies. The Australian CDC will be an agency within the health portfolio and work along the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The department will continue to be responsible for health emergency response coordination and major program delivery, such as health support in national disasters, the National Medical Stockpile and the National Immunisation Program. The Australian CDC will be empowered to provide advice on the best ways to manage all forms of diseases, but this will be staged, primarily starting with communicable diseases.

The CDC's remit is expected to grow over time and will be informed by a review of the CDC's funding and operations in 2028. The independent COVID-19 response inquiry recommended a review of the CDC on its initial progress to inform any stage expansion. To ensure that the legislation remains contemporary and supports the operation of a modern public health agency, the CDC bill sets a legislative review of operation every five years. The legislative review will be in addition to the initial review of funding and operation scheduled after two years. Establishing an Australian CDC is widely supported by many consumer and health peak bodies, infectious disease specialists and the research community. It addresses some capability gaps identified in the COVID-19 response inquiry.

The bills also provide an opportunity for the Australian CDC to deliver a modern approach to national public health data, enabling faster, more accurate detection of risks and delivering more consistent responses across borders and a stronger foundation for pandemic planning and management. The bill streamlines data sharing for public health and linkages across the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. It includes strong safeguards to ensure that data sharing serves the public interest without compromising the privacy of individuals.

The establishment of the CDC is a critical opportunity to assist in addressing the disproportionate gendered effects of communicable disease on some of our most vulnerable Australians. It will ensure we are prepared and can better protect the health and wellbeing of our fellow citizens. Establishing the Australian CDC as an independent Commonwealth statutory agency also ensures it remains independent and cannot be subjected to direction from ministers or government departments. The functions of the Australian CDC are expected to expand into the future and will respond to emerging public health risks.

These bills deliver on the Albanese government's 2022 election commitment to deliver a transparent and trusted independent Australian CDC. Our government is committed to ensuring that Australians remain safe and healthy and that our country can be better prepared to face global health risks. I'm very happy to see that the CDC is on our list of agenda items because, being a member of the health committee, I understand just how important that is. I commend the bill to the House.

Link to Hansard: Full Speech