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Australian Health Protection Committee

Disaster Health Strategic Leadership Program

Prof. Gerry FitzGerald

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Session 2: Australian Emergency

Management System• Strategic structures• Legal and legislative structures• Financial frameworks • External assistance

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Council of Australian Governments (COAG)

Council of Australian Governments Senior

Officers Meeting (COAGSOM)

Secretaries Committee on

National Security (SCNS)

National Security Committee of

Cabinet (NSC)

National Counter Terrorism Committee

(NCTC)

National Crisis

Committee

National Critical Infrastructure

Advisory Committee (NCIRC)

Ministerial Council for Police & Emergency

Management - Emergency Management

(MCPEM-EM)

Standing Council on Health

National Emergency Management

Committee (NEMC)

Australian Health Ministers’

Advisory Council (AHMAC)

Australian Health Protection Committee

(AHPC)

The Context of AHPC in the Broader National Security Community

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Federal Cabinet

State/territory cabinets

Department of the Prime

Minister & Cabinet

First Minister’s Department

Australian Government

Crisis Committee

State/territory emergency

management committee

National Crisis Committee

Australian Health

Protection Committee Department

of Health & Ageing

State/territory departments of

health

Australian Government

Crisis Coordination

Centre

State/territory emergency

operations centre

National Incident Room

State/territory health

coordination centre

Attorney-General’s

Department

State/territory emergency

management organisation

National Crisis Management Arrangements

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Australian Disaster Management Structures

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AHPC Structure

AHMACAustralian Health Ministers' Advisory Council

AHPCAustralian Health Protection Committee

CDNACommunicable

Diseases Network Australia

PHLNPublic Health

Laboratory Network

enHealthEnvironmental

Health Committee

ad hocAHPC working

groups (as required)

NHEMSNational Health

Emergency Management

Sub-committee

SCoH*Standing Council on Health

SCoH: COAG’s Standing Council on HealthAHMAC: Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council

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The role of the AHPC is to:

• Provide advice to the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) on Australia’s preparedness for health emergencies, and approaches to addressing any deficits

• Manage health emergencies, including coordinating the national health response to significant incidents

• Ensure consistency of communication between jurisdictions and other relevant organisations

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Membership: AHPC• The Chief Medical Officer• Each state and territory Chief Health Officer• Health disaster officials (up to three) nominated by states and territories or

the Commonwealth• The Chairs of each AHPC Sub Committee (CDNA, PHLN and enHealth)• Emergency Management Australia (Director General)• Australian Defence Force (Commander Joint Health)• A representative of the New Zealand Ministry of Health• Representative of the National Mental Health Disaster Response

Committee• Clinical experts• The Commonwealth Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer

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Planning framework

Australia’s plans need to recognise and reflect WHO and other international plans and guidelines. For example:

• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework 2011

• WHO guidelines and recommendations for the management of Avian Influenza

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Internal planning frameworks to ensure consistency.

Core plan

Sub-plansSpecial plansOperational plans

Public health

Media and communications

Victim identification and management

Transport

Pandemics

CBR

Burns

Mass Crowd event

National plans

Hospital plans

District plans

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International Legislation

• Mostly developed for armed conflict and includes:

• standards of care for wounded civilians and combatants

• protection for healthcare workers in war zones

• reciprocal obligations and rights

• The international law of humanitarian response is relatively

undeveloped. It includes:

• occasional treaties and agreements

• no unifying set of principles

• not even a recognised sub-category of international law

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International Health Regulations

• The broadened purpose and scope of the IHR(2005) are to• prevent, protect against, control and provide a

public health response to the international spread of disease … [avoiding] unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade.

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Domestic legislation

• Specific legislation e.g. Disaster Management Acts

• Legislation with specific mention e.g. Public Health Acts

• Legislation with relevance e.g. Police Act• Common Law

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Financial arrangements

• The National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on Natural Disaster Resilience. The NPA provides approximately $27 million per year to states and territories to enhance the resilience of communities against the impact of natural disasters.

• The Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery

Arrangements (NDRRA) provide funding to States and Territories to help pay for natural disaster relief and recovery costs.

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External assistance

• National collaborative arrangements will mostly be called on to render assistance internationally.

• The mechanisms will be AUSMAT teams provided by states and Territories under national coordination.

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External assistance:principles

• Appropriate to task and time – modular structures that address the particular need at the particular time

• Self-sufficient• Integrates with local services• Transfer capability and empower local communities• Communication: language barriers are addressed.

• Address cultural factors

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Session 2: Australian Emergency

Management System

Prof. Gerry FitzGerald