Chief Medical Officer (Australia)
Principal health advisor to the government of Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 originally 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]
As of 22 December 2020[update], the Chief Medical Officer is Paul Kelly, succeeding Brendan Murphy who became Secretary of the Department of Health.[4]
As of 23 January 2021[update], the joint Deputy Chief Medical Officers are 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]