About national health emergency management
State and territory governments are responsible for managing emergencies in their jurisdictions.
Our approach to health emergency management involves planning, preparing and responding to emergencies, then reviewing our response to learn from it.
The Australian Government’s emergency response role starts when:
- a state or territory government requests Australian Government assistance
- multiple states and territories are affected, requiring a consistent national picture
- Australians or Australian interests are affected overseas
- Australian Government services or assets are directly affected.
Our responsibilities
Australia’s national health emergency management responsibilities are framed in legislation and policy, including the:
- Biosecurity Act 2015
- National Health Security Act 2007
- Australian Government Crisis Management Framework.
The International Health Regulations 2005 provide us with a framework to work with other countries also dealing with communicable disease emergencies.
We lead national health emergency response coordination at 2 levels.
1. Whole-of-nation response
We coordinate a whole-of-nation response for any emergency that results in nationally significant human health consequences.
The Australian Health Protection Committee (AHPC) is the overarching senior officials’ group for a national health-sector emergency response.
Responses at this level require coordination across health agencies in Australian Government and state and territory governments. They might be for a broad range of emergencies, including from:
- infectious disease
- hazardous materials
- climate and natural events, including floods and bushfires
- mass casualty incidents
- cyber security incidents
- critical infrastructure and supply chain disruption
- food insecurity
- civil unrest and conflict.
2. Whole-of-Australian-Government response
We coordinate whole-of-Australian-Government responses for domestic public health emergencies.
The Australian Government Crisis and Recovery Committee (AGCRC) is the overarching senior officials’ group for the emergency response.
Responses at this level require cross-portfolio coordination across all Australian Government agencies to address the span of consequences, not only those relating to human health, but also those with economic, social, or other dimensions.
We are the Australian Government coordinating agency for:
- nationally significant infectious disease outbreaks (including pandemics)
- hazardous material incidents with human health consequences (excluding terror events).
The Australian Government Crisis Management Framework designates our portfolio responsibilities for this level of coordination.
Our approach
The Australian Government Crisis Management Continuum informs our approach to health emergency management.
We put particular emphasis on the planning, preparedness, response, and review phases.
This image shows an arrow going through all the stages of the health emergency management continuum. These are prevention, planning, preparedness, response, review and recovery.
Health emergency planning
Our national health emergency response plans guide our approach to health emergency response.
We are reviewing these plans in the wake of recent emergencies.
Health emergency preparedness
We build emergency preparedness through:
- national health emergency exercises
- a health emergency management training program
- a lessons management (continuous improvement) framework
- a health emergency management capability framework.
Health emergency response
During a national health emergency, we might:
- activate the National Incident Centre to coordinate a national responses
- deploy highly specialised drugs, vaccines and antidotes from the National Medical Stockpile
- consider activating the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) through the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre if a jurisdiction (national or international) requests deployable health assistance
- provide targeted primary care and mental health support for affected communities
- regularly update Australians about the developing situation.
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