At the twentieth meeting of the Prime Minister’s Science Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) held on June 5 2009, an Expert Working Group presented a report titled Epidemics in a Changing World.  This report considered the factors that prompt the emergence of infectious diseases, and that alter the frequency, location and spread of disease in a changing global environment.  It was noted that humans are the key contributor to this change, through population growth, climate change and associated environmental impacts.

The report also identified that the infectious agents that cause such diseases constantly evolve. This makes the prediction of future threats very difficult — so we must expect to be surprised. The report identified several key ways for Australia to strengthen its capabilities to prevent and manage epidemics.

The Expert Working Group members came from a wide range of scientific disciplines and organisations.  Many of the members had been previously or were currently actively engaged in operations or research associated with animal or human epidemics in Australia and overseas.  They drew heavily on their extensive scientific knowledge and expertise in considering the topic, in fields including virology, entomology, epidemiology, medical science and veterinary science.

The recommendations

Science and innovation will provide the key to safeguarding Australia’s future. The report focused on ensuring that Australia is well placed to deal with the effect of global changes on the occurrence and spread of human and animal epidemic diseases.

The Expert Working Group noted that Australia’s current operational response to disease control is effective — and has been in recent times for disease events which have not resulted in major global epidemics.  The recommendations presented were seen as providing Australia with the preparedness and agility to cope with the unknown challenges of a future world that may provide a substantively different environment for epidemic disease.

In order to underpin Australia’s preparedness to deal with emerging epidemic diseases the Group recommended that:

1. Australia possesses the human capacity to combat potential epidemics

The nation must be prepared and sufficiently agile to deal with unexpected epidemics. This requires that we develop, maintain and retain skilled people through:

• conducting ongoing national workforce planning for expertise in human and animal epidemic diseases; and
• boosting higher education and research training in areas of need.

In order to provide early warning of the emergence of epidemic diseases the Group recommended that:

2. Australia possesses a long term biosecurity information collection, analysis and interpretation capability

Capability must be developed and maintained to collect, analyse and interpret disease surveillance information.   This must be secured by:

• creating an ongoing, effective national human and animal disease information system; and
• integrating this system with similar systems operating overseas.

In order to enhance Australia’s wider ability to deal with emerging epidemic diseases the Group recommended that:

3. Australia develops forward regional engagement to mitigate potential epidemic.

Australia needs to commit human and other resources to engage our region on disease surveillance, preparedness and mitigation, through capacity building and collaboration.  This requires that we develop political, scientific and technical relationships with our neighbours, at multiple levels, to reduce human and animal disease risk to Australia and the region by:

• establishing an active ongoing cross portfolio mechanism involving PM&C, DFAT, DoHA, DAFF, DIISR, DEEWR and other relevant agencies dedicated to managing and supporting effective regional engagement; and
• assisting regional countries to meet their obligations under the WHO International Health Regulations and the World Organisation for Animal Health requirements through:
  • supporting development of collaborative regional surveillance and early warning systems; and
  • developing regional expertise through professional training and higher education in Australia and in the region.

In order to secure the front-line defences needed to deal with emerging epidemic diseases the Group recommended that:

4. Australia has a self-sufficient vaccine development and production capacity

Australia needs to retain and enhance its onshore development and production capacity for vaccines. This is essential for domestic preparedness and, as importantly, to enable access to the latest overseas expertise and technology in this field.  The focus should be on the onshore development and production capacity for:

• contemporary influenza vaccines; and
• niche vaccines, particularly in the context of future Australian needs.

In order to better coordinate our ability to deal with emerging epidemic diseases the Group recommended that:

5. The Government establishes the cross-portfolio arrangements essential for effective implementation of Recommendations 1, 2 and 3 as a matter of immediate priority.

Please visit the PMSEIC website to view the full report.

Established in 1989 as the Prime Minister’s Science Council, PMSEIC brings together Australia’s top scientific and business leaders to examine and make recommendations on science, engineering and innovation issues of national importance.

As Executive Officer of PMSEIC, Professor Penny Sackett, Chief Scientist for Australia, unveiled a new model for PMSEIC.

“The new model establishes more formal structures to provide long-term, over-the-horizon vision on all matters associated with science, engineering and innovation.

“This will ensure that the policy choices made today lead towards a sustainable, prosperous, healthy and educated Australian society in the future.

“Essentially the idea is to identify a set of plausible futures that lie 10 to 50 years ahead of us, draw a line between where we are now and each of those futures, and then ask: What are the problems and opportunities for Australia that intersect that line that involve science?

“If there are gaps in our current knowledge that prevent us from formulating good policy for those possible challenges and opportunities, we need to know what they are, and fill them,” Professor Sackett said.

As the primary advisory body to the Prime Minister on matters of Science, Engineering and Innovation, it is vital that PMSEIC takes a long term view and engage in foresighting (over the horizon) activities.

“In order to stay competitive in a global world, Australia needs to take a long term, cross portfolio approach, as many of our international counterparts have been doing,” Professor Sackett said.

Speaking on the new PMSEIC model, Professor Graeme Turner, Director, Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland and a PMSEIC member said that it was pleasing to note that the Council will be drawing on the nation’s full range of expertise, including those of the humanities and social sciences.

“The explicit nomination of a foresighting process provides PMSEIC with a unique opportunity to provide long range advice on issues of national importance, highlighting areas of research where an early and timely response can really make a difference,” Professor Turner said.

Working under the new model, Standing Committee members of PMSEIC have been focusing on four foresighting clusters or themes:

• Climate Change, Energy, Water and Environment;
• Science as an Engine for Innovation in Commerce, Industry and the Arts;
• National Health, Well-being and Security;
• Knowledge Generation, Skills and Perception in a Global World;

“These themes lie at the intersection of Government portfolios and across traditional disciplines of research, Professor Sackett said.

“It will require a broad vision and cross-portfolio co-operation to arrive at the best choices.  Even the themes themselves may change in the future as we adapt and respond to a changing global environment.

“Through an active exchange of views today, we anticipate that the Prime Minister and the Council will agree on priorities for further work, so that specialised teams of experts can be formed to research these priorities further and present their detailed findings at future PMSEIC meetings,” Professor Sackett said.

At today’s meeting, one such specialised Expert Working Group, comprised of key health researchers from Australia’s leading universities and research centres, presented a timely report to the Council on the challenges faced by Australia in the event of a global epidemic affecting humans or animals.

The report, Epidemics in a Changing World, highlights some potential ways Australia could enhance its capacity to combat epidemics.

“The Expert Working Group produced a comprehensive report in a very short time frame, especially considering they had the additional pressure of being called upon in a professional capacity to respond to the spread of the virus H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Influenza),” Professor Sackett said.

Please refer to the PMSEIC website for further information on the Council and the Expert Working Group reports, including the Epidemics in a Changing World.

For more information on the Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny Sackett, please visit www.chiefscientist.gov.au.

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Media Contact: Rebecca Richter, Office of the Chief Scientist
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