Health promotion is central to the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control

Following a newly installed federal government and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Aged Care commenced planning for the establishment of an Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) with the release of a consultation paper about its role and functions, in tandem with a national roadshow.1 The Minister for Health and Aged Care and Chief Medical Officer invited public health experts to contribute thoughts and ideas about the establishment of an Australian CDC based on 28 guiding questions outlined in the consultation paper.1 Broadly, these encompassed the scope, functioning and monitoring of the proposed institution. The Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA®) submitted a comprehensive response,2 as did multiple universities, peak bodies, health services and nongovernment organisations across Australia. A consistent theme of many submissions was a call for health promotion to be a prominent feature of the role and functions of the Australian CDC. This editorial extends on these responses, outlining why health promotion, and the evidence published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia, needs to be central features of establishing the CDC in Australia for it to have optimal impact.