Submission—Australian Centre for Disease Control bills

On 28 October 2025, the Academy made a submission on the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025 and Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025.

Download submission (PDF, 245KB)

In the submission, the Academy welcomes the introduction of legislation to establish the Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) as an independent, statutory agency.

The Academy recommends:

• expanding the Director-General’s engagement with scientific and research institutions to identify future priority areas in disease control, pandemics, and public health response, and ensure that the ACDC’s advice is informed by the best available scientific information
• additional support for Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) to coordinate data linkages and ensure data security
• including scientific expertise on the membership of the advisory board would ensure a robust group of experts to develop a strategy, and plan and prioritise research.