The Chief Medical Officer is the principal health advisor to the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

. The position is a medical appointment, reporting to the

Departmental secretary In Australia, a departmental secretary is the most senior public servant of an Australian Government or state government department. They are typically responsible for the day-to-day actions of a department. Role A departmental secretary ...

for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The position is responsible for the Office of Health Protection which itself has responsibility for

biosecurity Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, plants, animals etc.) intentionally or unintentionally outside their native range or within new environments. In agricult ...

immunisation Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-sel ...

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. The position was created in November 1982 because the newly appointed Director-General of Health was not a doctor. The position is an advisory in nature and does not have executive or operational authority. , the Chief Medical Officer is Professor Michael Kidd, who succeeded Tony Lawler. , the joint Deputy Chief Medical Officers were Nick Coatsworth, Ruth Vine and Michael Kidd. In May 2020,

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

Ruth Vine was appointed the first Deputy Chief Medical Officer for

Mental Health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

. Previous officers include John Horvath in 2003,

Jim Bishop James Alonzo Bishop (November 21, 1907 – July 26, 1987) was an American journalist and author who wrote the bestselling book ''The Day Lincoln Was Shot''. Early life Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he dropped out of school after eighth grad ...

in 2009, and Chris Baggoley from August 2011 until 2016. The role has recently been focused on

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

and related health issues, as well as the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The position is head of the

Australian Health Protection Principal Committee 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 Aus ...

and in that role an adviser to the National Cabinet of Australia, created in response to the pandemic. 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.

Annual reports

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

List of Chief Medical Officers

* David de Souza (1983–1988) *

Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back t ...

(1988–1997) * Judith Whitworth (1997–1999) * Richard Smallwood (1999–2003) * John Horvath (2003–2009) *

(2009–2011) * Chris Baggoley (2011–2016) * Brendan Murphy (2016–2020) * Paul Kelly (2020–2024) * Tony Lawler (2024–2025) * Michael Kidd (2025–present)

Related roles and terminology

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 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 state CHOs became prominent as advisors regarding the state responses, and in particular closure of state borders. The CMOs/CHOs are part of the

which advises the National Cabinet on health matters, which has been particularly important during the pandemic. , the principal health advisors in each state and territory are: *

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

: Kerryn Coleman, CHO *

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

: Kerry Chant, CHO *

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

: Dr Christine Connors, CHO *

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

: Dr Heidi Carroll, CHO *

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

: Nicola Spurrier, Chief Public Health Officer *

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

: Dr Dinesh Arya, Chief Medical Officer *

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

: Clare Looker, CHO *

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Andrew Robertson Andrew Henry Robertson (born 11 March 1994) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays at left-back for club Liverpool and captains the Scotland national team. He is regarded as one of the best left-backs of his generation and one of th ...

, CHO

In sport

Many of the major professional sports bodies in Australia, including the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

, appoint a Chief Medical Officer, usually a sport and exercise medicine physician, to advise on medical matters.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Chief Medical Officer
– Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Health in Australia Australian public servants People in public health