Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025, Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025

Senator STEELE-JOHN (Western Australia) (11:05): I'm seeking the call to move a couple of amendments. The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Let me just check precisely what stage we're at, senators. Senator Ruston: I seek leave to move amendments on sheet— Senator Hanson-Young: Hang on!

Senator Steele-John was seeking the call. The temporary chair then said he was seeking advice as to where we were up to. Sorry— Senator Ruston: I just sought the call.

Senator Hanson-Young: Jordon was seeking the call. Senator Ruston: Jordon doesn't need advice. I'm— Senator Hanson-Young: Jordon sought the call to move the Greens amendments.

That is what Jordon was doing before you jumped to move yours. The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Hold on, let's do this through the chair. Senator Ruston: Through you, Temporary Chair—Senator Hanson-Young, my understanding was that we were going through the procedural activities that the chair was going through before we moved to the moving of amendments.

I thought Senator Steele-John was actually—the temporary chair asked Senator Steele-John whether that was what he was doing. He said he was seeking to move amendments. I was obviously waiting for the place in the program where amendments were to be moved.

I'm more than happy, as I always am, to make sure everybody in the chamber gets the opportunity to ask their questions. But I was intending to stand as the first person to stand, because I was waiting for the time in the program that it was appropriate to do that. Senator Hanson-Young interjecting— Senator Ruston: Well, I'm sorry.

That was a term— The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Senator Ruston, one moment. Let me manage this situation. Senator Hanson-Young interjecting— Senator Ruston: That was offensive!

The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Let's bring the temperature down, senators. At this point, I did recognise Senator Steele-John first. I appreciate the point you're making, Senator Ruston.

I appreciate that this may not be ideal, but I'm going to give the call to Senator Steele-John first on this occasion, and then I'll come to you. Senator STEELE-JOHN: by leave—In respect of the Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025, I move the amendments listed in the name of the Australian Greens together: SHEET 3439 (1) Clause 11, page 17 (after line 3), after paragraph 11(j), insert: (ja) promoting research in relation to public health matters, including by: (i) developing and maintaining close relationships with key public health research entities; and (ii) providing advice to research funding entities on research priorities for public health matters; (jb) promoting public health workforce expertise; (2) Clause 12, page 17 (line 13), omit "to (j)", substitute "to (jb)". _____ SHEET 3440 (1) Page 63 (after line 21), after clause 77, insert: 77A Annual pandemic preparedness and climate reporting The annual report prepared by the Director-General and given to the Minister under section 46 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 for a period must include an assessment of the following in relation to the period (including as compared to any previous such periods): (a) Australia's pandemic preparedness; (b) the impacts of climate change on health for Australians. _____ SHEET 3441 (1) Clause 5, page 5 (after line 8), after the definition of Director-General, insert: disability has the same meaning as in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

(2) Clause 30, page 28 (after line 24), after subclause (3), insert: (3A) The Minister must ensure that at least one appointed member is a person with a disability who has expertise, qualifications or experience in the health needs of people with disability. _____ SHEET 3443 (1) Clause 11, page 16 (after line 23), after subparagraph (11)(h)(vii), insert: (viia) bodies whose objects include the prevention and management of occupational exposures and injuries; (viib) bodies whose objects include the prevention and control of infection; (viic) bodies representing people with disability; (viid) bodies whose objects include research into, and the management of, the health needs of people with disability; These amendments, when taken together, substantially strengthen the Centre for Disease Control.

They will ensure that climate change is mentioned specifically in the annual report as it relates to public health. They will ensure that there is consultation with community organisations in relation to policy setting. They will ensure that the centre has a clear direction in relation to the promotion of the health workforce and health research.

Critically, they will ensure that there is, now and forever, a permanent disabled representative on the advisory council—someone who is a disabled person and who has specific disability-health based knowledge. I think this will go a long way to demonstrating to the Australian disability community that we here in the Senate understand that the disability community bore the brunt of the pandemic.

So many of us lost loved ones. So many of us were confined to our homes. So many of us still must isolate in order to safeguard our health.

I will share with the Senate, on a personal note, the fear that swept through our community in those early days and weeks of the pandemic. We would reach out to government and ask what the disability-specific response plan was for disabled people, and we were often met with silence or a 'we're working on that' or a 'we are bringing some people together to have a bit of a conversation', all while people were beginning to become sick or were dying or being incubated.

If we can learn one thing from this event it is that government must plan for these situations in a way which ensures there are urgent responses that reflect the diverse needs of the Australian community, because time is the precious substance in these situations. We should spend that time getting health care to people, not pulling together emergency working groups that we didn't know we needed because there was nobody in the room sharing a disabled perspective in relation to the plan as it was actually being made.

With that said, as I said, I commend these amendments to the chamber, and I'm proud to do so this morning.