Introduction by Croakey: The Coalition does not support establishment of the Australian Centre for Disease Control, an initiative that health leaders have sought for many years and that is seen as key for tackling future pandemics and climate change, among many other critical health issues.
The Coalition’s stance is despite the turmoil in global health generated by the Trump Administration, which many fear will have consequences for health in Australia and elsewhere through the spread of misinformation and disinformation, the weakening of infectious diseases control, and the undermining of global science and health initiatives.
When asked by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) for its position on the Australian CDC, the Coalition replied that it “does not believe the case has been made for the establishment of a dedicated Centre for Disease Control in an Australian context”.
This echoes comments by former Health Minister Greg Hunt three years ago, when he told the PHAA ahead of the LNP Government losing the last federal election that the Coalition did not support establishment of a CDC.
While an interim CDC has since been established within the Department of Health and Aged Care, many health leaders have been frustrated by the Albanese Government’s slow progress in establishing the CDC as an independent body.
In the PHAA’s federal election scorecard, the organisation’s CEO, Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, says that “while both major political parties have made significant health promises, the election campaign is missing the mark when it comes to Australians’ health”.
The Greens scored seven ‘green lights’ for their commitments to the seven evidence-based policy priorities identified by PHAA members that will “work to keep people across Australia healthy”.
These include increasing investment in prevention, action on obesity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, climate and health, gambling reform, oral health care and establishing a permanent Centre for Disease Control. The Australian Labor Party received only two green lights, and the Coalition none.
Meanwhile, the National Indigenous Health Leadership Alliance has responded to comments by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency and Indigenous Australians, that the Coalition will audit government spending on Indigenous programs, and reset the Closing the Gap agenda.
The Alliance highlights below that the 2024 Productivity Commission’s review and this year’s Close the Gap Day Report show “the primary barriers to progress are not a lack of funding – but systemic failures in how that funding is governed, allocated, and delivered”.
See full statements by the PHAA and NIHLA below, as well as a Djirra election statement.
“Health election” misses the mark
Experts are urging Federal election candidates to broaden their focus on health to include initiatives that will keep Australians well and out of hospitals, after new analysis showed that public health is largely absent from the election commitments made by the two major political parties.
The Public Health Association of Australia published its election scorecard today, rating the commitments made by the Australian Labor Party, Liberal National Party Coalition, and the Greens against seven priorities put forward by public health experts.
While the Greens scored seven ‘green lights’ for their commitments to increasing investment in prevention, action on obesity, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, climate and health, gambling reform, oral healthcare and establishing a permanent Centre for Disease Control, the ALP only received two green lights, and the Coalition none.
The Coalition also indicated in their response to the election asks that they did not believe there was a case for an independent Australian Centre for Disease Control. Establishing an Australian CDC was recommended by the COVID-19 response inquiry, as well as public health and infectious disease groups. This is the first time the Coalition has clarified their position on making the Centre permanent.
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia, says that while both major political parties have made significant health promises, the election campaign is missing the mark when it comes to Australians’ health.
“This election campaign has set health up as a battleground, with Labor making at least nine health announcements in the last six months, worth billions of dollars, that show their commitment to investing in health treatment and hospitals. The Liberal National Coalition have been quick to match these, while making their own commitments to youth mental health.
“Our election scorecard shows that there is one clear difference between the two parties when it comes to their position on plans for Australia’s Centre for Disease Control.
“But what neither party seems to be talking about is how we are going to reduce the pressure on the health system and keep more Australians out of our already strained hospitals and doctors’ waiting rooms.
“National expenditure on health is growing rapidly and now sits at around $250 billion a year – but alarmingly, only around three percent of that spending goes to initiatives that are going to stop Australians from getting sick in the first place.
“It’s not just a health failure; it’s an economic fiasco. Both parties are keen to establish themselves as good financial managers, but failure to invest in prevention will render our national health budget financially unsustainable.
“What we are really hoping to see in the coming weeks is some of our political candidates step up and provide a longer-term vision of what they are going to do to keep Australians healthy. We want to protect our young people so that they can live healthy and happy lives, and support our aging population to enjoy as many years in good health as possible. This will also relieve our health system and our economy.
“There are many cost-effective policies that the next Government could adopt to create a legacy that puts Australians on a path to good health.”
The Public Health Association of Australia is calling for the next Federal Government to:
- Establish a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control
- Invest in prevention to save lives
- Act on obesity to help more Australians maintain a healthy weight
- Invest in First Nations people’s health to close the gap
- Protect our health by acting on climate change
- Reform gambling so people lose less
- Introduce universal oral health care through Medicare
More information and the election scorecard can be found here.
Peak group responds on Indigenous affairs and Closing the Gap
Statement by the National Indigenous Health Leadership Alliance (NIHLA)
The National Indigenous Health Leadership Alliance welcomes all commitments to improve the effectiveness, accountability, and outcomes of government investment in Closing the Gap.
We acknowledge Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency and Indigenous Australians Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s recent remarks about auditing expenditure and identifying inefficiencies in the Indigenous affairs portfolio, including a call for a “reset” of the Closing the Gap agenda.
As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations working across all levels of the health system, we are also frustrated with the lack of meaningful progress. Progress has been held back by inconsistent implementation of government commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. NIHLA agrees that public expenditure must deliver measurable improvements in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Any review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap must be comprehensive and impartial. It must examine all funding streams – including those going to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations – that claim to contribute to Closing the Gap. A focus on efficiency must not come at the cost of equity, cultural safety, or self-determination.
As repeatedly affirmed in the 2024 Productivity Commission’s review and this year’s Close the Gap Day Report, the primary barriers to progress are not a lack of funding – but systemic failures in how that funding is governed, allocated, and delivered. We reiterate the findings of the Productivity Commission:
- Government processes must change. The “business-as-usual” approach has failed.
- Self-determination and genuine partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations are non-negotiable.
- Strengths-based approaches that place community-led solutions at the centre are key to achieving sustainable progress.
We call on all political leaders, regardless of party, to ensure that reforms to Indigenous affairs are guided by the principles embedded in the National Agreement – especially the four Priority Reform Areas, including shared decision-making, building the community-controlled sector, transforming government institutions, and improving data and accountability.
Success will depend on governments and departments working in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and organisations. That requires long-term investment, trust, and a shift in how policy is co-designed and delivered.
As Karl Briscoe, NIHLA Chair, recently stated:
Where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have driven the implementation of the Priority Reform Areas in our communities, we have seen real progress. This demonstrates the power of our leadership when governments listen, trust, and act in good faith.”
NIHLA remains committed to working with governments of all stripes to ensure that taxpayer investments in Indigenous affairs are not only efficient – but effective, culturally safe, and community-driven. A smarter, stronger approach will only be possible if governments commit to co-designing solutions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and hold all recipients of funding to the same standards of transparency, performance, and respect.
We wish to remind the public and media outlets of the importance of responsible and culturally respectful reporting when it comes to issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This includes adhering to the Good Yarn Guidelines and ensuring that crisis support services are promoted effectively.
Support Aboriginal women’s self-determination
Election statement by Djirra, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation
In the lead-up to the Federal election, Djirra has been working hard lobbying and advocating for change. Change that will mean Aboriginal women and children are safe and supported with specialist, culturally safe legal and non-legal services.
Now, and always, Djirra calls on all political candidates to commit to and support Aboriginal women’s self-determination, and to invest in specialist Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations like Djirra, that provide lifesaving services for Aboriginal women and children.
Violence against Aboriginal women and children in this country is at crisis levels and cannot be ignored – our safety and our solutions must be front and centre and a top priority on the political agenda. Djirra calls for:
- A commitment to and investment in the establishment of our 23-year vision for an Aboriginal Women’s Centre (AWC) in Victoria. Not only will the AWC offer life-saving services for Aboriginal women, but it will be a place where culture is celebrated and affirmed.
- Regional expansion of Djirra’s services across Victoria, so that no Aboriginal woman has to travel more than 100kms or 1 hour to access our holistic specialist legal and non-legal support services for safety.
- Increased and sustained funding from the Department of Social Services to support our vital non-legal support services and life changing early intervention prevention programs we develop and deliver.
- Support for the National Access to Justice Partnership (NAJP) 2025-30 through increased and ongoing funding. This will ensure that our specialist legal service – and others in the community sector – can continue to operate and provide essential services on the frontline for Aboriginal women and their children experiencing and escaping family and sexual violence.
- Establishment and funding of a mandatory Aboriginal child protection notification and referral system (CPNRS) to ensure all Aboriginal mothers and mothers of Aboriginal children in contact with child protection are referred to Djirra and other specialist Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services. Early access to legal advice will prevent child removal.
Over the coming weeks, and beyond the election, we ask our supporters to join us as we remain fierce in our advocacy for Aboriginal women and children’s safety. Stand with us and call on all politicians to commit to the value of Djirra’s critical, lifesaving work – We are Aboriginal women’s self-determination in action.
Antoinette Braybrook AM
Follow Croakey’s extensive coverage of the 2025 Federal election here.
