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Australians with disability could soon have safeguards put in place to protect the community against future health epidemics, following the government’s passing of legislation to establish an independent Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Parliament earlier this week.
Labor’s Minister of Health, Disability and Ageing, Mark Butler, explains the move is an investment in the country’s national health security.
This legislation puts in place an enduring public health institution for Australia. Its advice will be grounded in evidence, published openly, and focused on keeping Australians safe and well
Mark Butler
Greens spokesperson for Health and Disability Rights, Senator Jordon Steele-John, agreed, citing the disability community’s experiences during the COVID19 pandemic.
Looking back at the last pandemic, too many disabled people were left at the mercy of government decision-making. We hoped decision-makers wouldn’t forget the disability community, or worse, leave us to die
Jordon Steele-John
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians with disability were identified as a vulnerable population due to increased risk of morbidity and mortality as a result of underlying health conditions, according to the Centre for Research Excellence in Disability and Health.
The Centre Research Excellence in Disability and Health cited risk factors such as exposures to multiple support workers and informal carers, as well as social factors like discrimination and social exclusion, which also had an impact on the overall health of the disability community.
As a result of the experiences faced by those with disability during the pandemic, the Greens’ have secured an amendment to the Centre for Disease Control, which guarantees that a person living with disability with health expertise will be in the room when advice to the government is shaped.
“The Greens amendments have strengthened this bill to ensure the CDC is grounded in equity, science and lived experience,” Senator Steele-John claims. “We’ve made sure that workers, disabled people and communities are part of shaping how Australia prevents and responds to future health crises.”
The Australian Centre for Disease Control will officially launch on the 1st of January 2026.
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