The bill makes the necessary legislative amendments and transitional arrangements to support the establishment of the Australian Centre for Disease Control (Australian CDC). It transfers specific public health powers and functions from the Department of Health and the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer to the Director-General of the Australian CDC, repeals the Australian National Preventative Health Agency Act 2010, and updates the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
The Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025 amends five existing Acts to transfer responsibilities to the newly created Australian CDC as an independent non-corporate Commonwealth entity.
Transitional provisions ensure records, delegations and enterprise agreements follow the transferred functions without interruption, and empower the Health Minister to make further rules for up to 12 months post-transition.
Strengthening National Health Security
The bill consolidates Commonwealth public health functions in an independent, expert-led agency. By transferring disease-listing powers under the Biosecurity Act and notifiable-disease surveillance under the National Health Security Act to the CDC’s Director-General, Australia gains a single point of technical authority capable of rapid, evidence-based responses to outbreaks [Judgment].
Reducing Duplication and Enhancing Clarity
Repealing the ANPHA Act and migrating its preventive health roles into the CDC eliminates overlapping mandates, while amendments to the FOI Act ensure sensitive patient and commercial information remains protected, preserving trust and encouraging data sharing between jurisdictions.
Smooth Transition
Detailed transitional provisions and machinery-of-government rules safeguard continuity: departmental records, existing delegations and enterprise agreements automatically follow the transferred functions, minimising administrative disruption.
Together, these measures maximise public well-being by creating a single, empowered agency dedicated to disease prevention, preparedness and response.
Complexity and Transitional Risk
Amending four major Acts and repealing another introduces a high risk of drafting errors, conflicting delegations and unintended gaps in authority during the transition. Overlapping roles between the CDC, Health Secretary and state chief health officers may lead to confusion in an emergency response scenario [Judgment].
Cost and Bureaucratic Expansion
The establishment of the CDC carries a price tag of $251.7 million over four years[1]. Many of its functions—disease surveillance, risk assessment and biological-agent regulation—are already performed within the existing Department of Health, raising questions about whether the incremental benefits justify the expense.
Transparency Concerns
By broadening FOI exemptions for “protected information” and granting retrospective rule-making powers for up to 12 months post-transition, the bill risks reducing public oversight of key health data and decision-making processes.
Estimate from 2024-25 MYEFO: $251.7 million over four years.
2025-09-03
House of Representatives
Before House of Representatives
Unspecified
Health, Disability and Ageing
Healthcare, National Security