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Antibiotic resistance in Australia

The major event in the control of antibiotic resistance in Australia in 2000 was the publication of the Commonwealth Government response to the report of the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance, August 2000 (the Government Response), which was endorsed by the then Minister for Health and Aged Care and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries - Australia.

In October 1999, the JETACAR made 22 recommendations to the Commonwealth Government for an antibiotic resistance management program covering regulatory controls; monitoring and surveillance; infection prevention strategies; education; research; and communication. The Government Response acknowledges the threat from antibiotic resistant organisms to the health and economic prosperity of the Australian population, and supports the development of a national antibiotic resistance management program. The Government Response was to establish the Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (EAGAR), to provide continuing advice on antibiotic resistance and related matters; and the Commonwealth Interdepartmental JETACAR Implementation Group (CIJIG) to oversee and coordinate the continuing government response to the JETACAR, to respond to the policy advice received from EAGAR; and to seek funding for implementation purposes.
CIJIG met for the first time in November 2000. CIJIG and EAGAR work collaboratively to further develop and implement the Government Response in consultation with stakeholders, including the States and Territories and industry, to ensure appropriate implementation. To assist formal consultation with the States and Territories and to monitor implementation, the Australian Health Minister's Conference (AHMC) appointed the AHMC JETACAR Taskforce in August 2000. To fill a similar role on the animal side and to aid consultation with industry, discussions are under way with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestries - Australia to reactivate the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management JETACAR Taskforce.

As part of the implementation of the JETACAR recommendation DoHA commissioned a study of the current surveillance activities for healthcare associated infections. The National Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infection in Australia study will provide vital information for future national planning for healthcare associated infection surveillance and inform public health action to alleviate the problem of antibiotic resistance. The report was made available for public consultation in early 2001 and was provided to the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Healthcare for consideration and action.


This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 26, No 2, June 2002