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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of , making it the sixth-largest country in ...

. It is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Government and comprises the chief health officers of the states and territories. The AHPPC's stated function (according to website ) is to provide advice to the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC) "on health protection matters and national priorities", and AHMAC formerly supported the

Council of Australian Governments The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) was the primary intergovernmental forum in Australia from 1992 to 2020. Comprising the federal government, the governments of the six states and two mainland territories and the Australian Local G ...

(COAG) Health Council. However, since the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

, the AHPPC has provided advice directly to the National Cabinet.

History and role

The AHPPC was established by the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) on 2 July 2009 to provide expert advice on high-level and intergovernmental coordination of public health emergency management. The AHPPC is tasked with providing advice on health protection in the context of emerging health threats,

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

environmental health Environmental health is the branch of public health concerned with all aspects of the natural environment, natural and built environment affecting human health. To effectively control factors that may affect health, the requirements for a hea ...

, and

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s. The AHPPC also collaborates with state and territory governments to develop consistency and standards for national health protection.} Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence. The AHPPC is also responsible for authorising the deployment of the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT).

COVID-19 pandemic

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the AHPPC has provided expert advice to the National Security Committee, the

Cabinet of Australia The Cabinet of Australia, also known as the Federal Cabinet, is the chief decision-making body of the Australian government. The Cabinet is selected by the prime minister and is composed of senior government ministers who administer the exec ...

, and the National Cabinet of Australia. The National COVID-19 Health and Research Advisory Committee was established in April 2020 to provide advice on Australia’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic to the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer and the AHPPC.

Membership

The AHPPC is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Government and comprises the Chief Health Officers of the State and Territory Governments. It previously included (as of at least 2017) nominated health disaster officials, the chairs of the AHPPC standing committees, a representative from Emergency Management Australia of the Department of Home Affairs, the

Surgeon-General Surgeon general (: surgeons general) is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with p ...

of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

, a representative from the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and other public health and clinical experts.Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance: National Arrangements (National CD Plan)
Department of Health As of 2017 it also included:

Standing committee oversight

The AHPPC also provides strategic direction and support to five standing committees: *Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) *National Health Emergency Management Standing Committee (NHEMS) *Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) *Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) *Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmitted Infections Standing Committee (BBVSS) it also oversees one time-limited advisory group, the Aged Care Advisory Group.

Secretariat

The Office of Health Protection of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing provides secretariat support functions for the AHPPC and its standing committees.

References

{{reflist Public policy in Australia