Establish an Australian Centre for Disease Control that addresses both infectious and noncommunicable diseases

Establish a purpose-built Australian Centre for Disease Control that addresses and accelerates action on the prevention, management and treatment of noncommunicable diseases.

Tackling Australia’s biggest health challenge – noncommunicable diseases – requires a greater focus on preventing disease and improving food systems. The Australian Centre for Disease Control, launching on 1 January 2026¹ should be fit-for-purpose, permanent and focused on addressing both infectious diseases and the national epidemic of noncommunicable diseases.

This should be coupled with accountability for the full resourcing, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of the National Preventive Health Strategy² and National Obesity Strategy.³ This includes, but is not limited to, government-led, mandatory regulations on

1. Front-of-pack labelling – Health Star Rating,
2. Food reformulation – to improve the nutritional value of packaged food, including by reducing salt,
   sugar, saturated fats and banning trans-fats,
3. Fiscal policies – to introduce a sugar sweetened beverage health levy to support increased funding for
   prevention of diet-related disease, and
4. Restricting unhealthy food marketing to children.

Read the full statement to learn more.

References:

1 Australian Government Department of Health. Australian Centre for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov.au/
2 Australian Government Department of Health 2021. National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030. https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/12/national-preventive-health-strategy-2021-2030_1.pdf
3 Australian Government Department of Health 2022. National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032. https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/03/national-obesity-strategy-2022-2032_0.pdf