Chief Medical Officer (Australia)

Last updated

The Chief Medical Officer is the principal health advisor to the Australian government. The position is a medical appointment, reporting to the Departmental secretary for the Department of Health and Aged Care. [1] The position is responsible for the Office of Health Protection which itself has responsibility for biosecurity, immunisation and disease surveillance. The position is also responsible for "maintaining high-quality relationships between the department, the medical profession, medical colleges, universities and other key stakeholders". Other responsibilities of the position vary according to the skills and background of the officeholder. [1] The position was created in November 1982 because the newly appointed Director-General of Health was not a doctor. [2] The position is an advisory in nature and does not have executive or operational authority. [3]

Contents

As of 22 October 2024, the Chief Medical Officer is Tony Lawler, [4] who succeeded Paul Kelly.

As of 23 January 2021, the joint Deputy Chief Medical Officers were Nick Coatsworth, Ruth Vine and Michael Kidd. [5] In May 2020, psychiatrist Ruth Vine was appointed the first Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health. [6]

Previous officers include John Horvath in 2003, [7] Jim Bishop in 2009, [8] [9] and Chris Baggoley from August 2011 [10] until 2016. The role has recently been focused on immigration and related health issues, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The position is head of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee [11] and in that role an adviser to the National Cabinet of Australia, created in response to the pandemic. [12]

In June 2024, former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth admitted he had not had a COVID vaccine for two years and stated he would not be getting any more vaccinations for the virus. [13]

Annual reports

Separate printed reports from the officer were available before 2003; after that time they became incorporated into the departmental reports. [14] [15]

List of Chief Medical Officers

States and territories

Most of the principal health advisors in each state and territory bear the title Chief Health Officer (CHO), apart from South Australia (Chief Public Health Officer) and Tasmania (Chief Medical Officer). During the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the state CHOs became prominent as advisors regarding the state responses, and in particular closure of state borders. [19] The CMOs/CHOs are part of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee which advises the National Cabinet on health matters, which has been particularly important during the pandemic. [20]

As of 2020, the principal health advisors in each state and territory are: [19]

In sport

Many of the major professional sports bodies in Australia, including the Australian Institute of Sport, appoint a Chief Medical Officer, usually a sport and exercise medicine physician, to advise on medical matters. [28] [29]

Related Research Articles

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health and Aged Care, the TGA regulates the safety, quality, efficacy and advertising in Australia of therapeutic goods. Therapeutic goods include goods that are represented to have a therapeutic effect, are included in a class of goods the sole or principal use of which is a therapeutic use, or are otherwise determined to be a therapeutic good through a legislative instrument under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. Goods that are therapeutic goods must be entered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), or otherwise be the subject of an exemption, approval or authority by the TGA under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990 or Therapeutic Goods Regulations 2002 before they can be imported, supplied, exported or manufactured in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Tam</span> 3rd chief public health officer of Canada

Theresa Tam is a Canadian physician and public servant who currently serves as the chief public health officer of Canada, who is the second-in-command of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Tam initially took the role as acting CPHO following the retirement of her predecessor, Gregory Taylor, on 16 December 2016. She was formally appointed on 26 June 2017.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, tested positive for the virus. As of 6 August 2022, Australia has reported over 11,350,000 cases and 19,265 deaths, with Victoria's 2020 second wave having the highest fatality rate per case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case of the disease in Fiji was reported on 19 March 2020 in Lautoka. as of 3 January 2022, the country has had a total of 55,009 cases as of which 2,417 are currently active and 702 deaths, with cases reported on all divisions of the country. Apart from the COVID-19 deaths, 621 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses. In March 2021, Fiji became the first Pacific island country to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX initiative with frontline workers and first responders the first to be vaccinated. As of 2 January 2022, more than 600,000 (98%) Fijians have received their first jab of the vaccine and almost 560,000 (92%) Fijians have received their second jab and are fully vaccinated. To date, only the AstraZeneca vaccine, Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine have been deployed in the country. The country have also administered booster shots. Vaccination is mandated, however only to the adult population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Health Protection Principal Committee</span>

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) is the peak decision-making committee for public health emergency management and disease control in the Commonwealth of Australia. It is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Government and comprises the chief health officers of the states and territories.

<i>Biosecurity Act 2015</i> Australian law

The Biosecurity Act 2015 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which manages biosecurity risks in Australia at the national border. It was enacted on 16 June 2015, after the Bill was passed with bipartisan support on 14 May 2015. It covers both agricultural and human medical biosecurity risks, including epidemics and pandemics, and is designed to contain and/or deal with any "diseases and pests that may cause harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment" in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Murphy (doctor)</span> Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care

Brendan Murphy is an Australian public servant, health executive and nephrologist who served as the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Australia from 4 October 2016 before serving as the Secretary of the Department of Health from 13 July 2020 until his retirement on 6 July 2023.

Christopher James Baggoley is an Australian doctor and the Chief Medical Officer of Australia between 2011 and 2016. As of June 2020 Baggoley is the Chief Medical Advisor for Calvary Care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Kelly (doctor)</span> Australian Chief Medical Officer

Paul M. Kelly is an Australian public health physician, epidemiologist and public servant who is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Australia, having served since 29 June 2020. He succeeded Brendan Murphy, who became the Secretary of the Department of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeannette Young</span> Governor of Queensland since 2021

Jeannette Rosita Young is an Australian medical doctor and administrator who is currently Governor of Queensland, since 1 November 2021. Before being sworn in as Governor, Young was Chief Health Officer of Queensland from 2005 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Sutton (doctor)</span> Australian public health physician

Brett Andrew Sutton is an Australian public health doctor who served as the Chief Health Officer of Victoria between March 2019 and July 2023. Sutton served in this role during the COVID-19 pandemic and became a public face of the response to the pandemic in Victoria.

The COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in New South Wales was identified on 19 January 2020 in Sydney where three travellers returning from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive for the virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in the state of Victoria, also the first in Australia, was identified as being on 19 January 2020, when a man from Wuhan arrived by air from Guangdong, China. His test results on 25 January confirmed he had COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland, Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Western Australia</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Western Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic in Western Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Western Australia (WA) confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on 21 February 2020, and its first death on 1 March. On 15 March, premier Mark McGowan declared a state of emergency. On 24 March, Western Australia closed its borders to the rest of Australia, and on 1 April, the state implemented borders between regions in the state. By mid-April 2020, the state had eliminated community transmission of COVID-19, becoming one of the few places in the world to do so. There were only a handful of cases of community transmission in the state after mid-April, until late December 2021 when a tourist caused an outbreak that led to the cancelling of some New Year's Eve events, and the re-imposing of mask wearing rules in Perth and the Peel region.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Australian Capital Territory is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. After one case of the delta variant in mid-August 2021, the Territory went into lockdown. By 26 September, the ACT had its first COVID-19 related death since mid-April 2020, nearly 18 months, followed by 3 more deaths in the first week of October 2021. 28 deaths during the outbreak since 12 August 2021 brought total deaths to 31, the most recent being on 8 February 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Northern Territory is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia during 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gerrard (doctor)</span>

John Gerrard is currently the Chief Health Officer of Queensland, beginning the role in December 2021. Gerrard has a record in research of emerging infectious diseases and vaccine development, investigating AIDS in Australia and dealing with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Gerrard has additionally become notable during the COVID-19 Pandemic, previously working as a director of infectious diseases at the Gold Coast University Hospital and being the first doctor in Queensland to treat a COVID-19 patient.


Nick Coatsworth is an Australian infectious diseases expert. He was Australia's deputy chief medical officer during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he regularly appeared in print and on radio and television to provide the public with information.

References

  1. 1 2 Schulz, Amber (16 April 2020). "The man behind the eyebrows: just who is Brendan Murphy?". Crikey. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Carlton, Jim (23 November 1982). "Top management changes in the Department of Health" (PDF). parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Brew, Nigel; Burton, Kate (16 November 2004). "Australia's capacity to respond to an infectious disease outbreak". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 15 June 2020. The CMO does not have an executive or operational role in relation to managing health issues, and contrary to how the role is sometimes understood, the Office does not appear to be entirely independent from the Commonwealth Government.
  4. ↑ "Chief Medical Officer". Department of Health and Aged Care. Australian Government. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "Our medical experts : Department of Health News and Alerts". Australian Government Department of Health. 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020.
  6. ↑ New deputy chief medical officer for medical health (audio and text), Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (ABC Radio National, RN Breakfast), 19 May 2020, retrieved 12 June 2020
  7. ↑ Halton, Jane (28 July 2003), Renal expert named new Chief Medical Officer for Australia , retrieved 12 June 2020
  8. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. News (28 August 2009), Chief Medical Officer says problems will be solved, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 12 June 2020
  9. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Radio National (17 March 2011), Australia's Chief Medical Officer on Japan radiation risk, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 13 June 2020
  10. ↑ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. News (30 August 2011), Chief medical officer takes exception to avian flu warning, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 12 June 2020
  11. ↑ McCauley, Dana (6 March 2020). "There's a reason Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy looks so tired". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Grattan, Michelle (7 April 2020). "Scott Morrison indicates 'eliminating' COVID-19 would come at too high a cost". The Conversation . Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "Major apology millions of Aussies deserve. Mounting evidence shows the vaccines were rushed, less effective than you’d expect of a jab and – in some cases – dangerous", news.com.au. Accessed 15 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Australia. Chief Medical Officer (1998), Chief Medical Officer's report [1997-98], The Dept, retrieved 13 June 2020
  15. ↑ Australia. Department of Health and Aged Care (1998), Chief Medical Officer's report, The Department, retrieved 13 June 2020
  16. ↑ "Health". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette . 21 April 1983. p. 2121. Retrieved 15 June 2020– via Trove.
  17. 1 2 "History of the Department". The Department of Health. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Professor Paul Kelly appointed as Australia's new Chief Medical Officer | Prime Minister of Australia". www.pm.gov.au. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. 1 2 Farhart, Claudia (19 April 2020). "Who are the experts behind Australia's coronavirus response?". SBS News. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  20. ↑ Aubusson, Kate; Mannix, Liam (27 November 2020). "Good Weekend's 40 Australians Who Mattered: Health and Science". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  21. ↑ Kanapathippillai, Julia; Jervis-Bardy, Dan (3 August 2020). "Canberra coronavirus preparation: chief health officer says to be prepared, but don't stockpile". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  22. ↑ Hunt, Toby (5 July 2020). "ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  23. ↑ "Updates". Coronavirus (COVID-19). Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "Members of the NHMRC Council, 2015-2018 triennium". NHMRC. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  25. ↑ Layt, Stuart (22 November 2021). "John Gerrard announced as new Queensland Chief Health Officer as jab push continues". Brisbane Times . Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  26. ↑ Dr Mark Veitch, Director of Public Health (14 January 2021). "COVID-19 update". Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  27. ↑ "About the Chief Health Officer". health.vic.gov.au. Department of Health (Victoria). 2020. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  28. ↑ "Ask The Expert: Getting back to sport". dailytelegraph. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  29. ↑ Anderson, Emma (21 June 2017). "Dr Carolyn Broderick appointed Chief Medical Officer". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.